Blackened Dawn
by Kearra
Summary: Sequel to Children of the Gods. Ganondorf has returned to Hyrule, and has Link in his custody, but he is not his true target. Can the seven sages gain the help of the very gods to seal him away for good?
1. Chapter 1

This story is the sequel to a previous story known as Children of the gods. You may want to take a look if you intend to read this story, but I will do my best to write this story so that new readers will not feel impossibly lost.

The usual characters are copyright by Nintendo, whereas the Gods (save for Din, Farore and Nayru) and their personalities were created by me. Do enjoy.

* * *

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter One**

The stale air was filled with the scent of blood. No light was shed into this room, save for what filtered in through the cracks around the door. The room itself was cold, being in the underground regions of the castle. It was a holding cell for prisoners, although there were several instruments laying about that suggested this room to be a torture chamber as well.

The only person in this room was a young man, possibly in his late twenties, early thirties. His shoulder-length hair appeared to be blond, although it was stained with blood and dirt, much like his tattered green tunic and white leggings. His boots were scuffed and covered in dirt, apparently having endured many years of travel. He was standing, although it looked as though his legs couldn't support his weight. His arms were stretched outwards, held firmly by chains connected to the walls, pulled tight so that he could not move much without feeling like his arms would be ripped from their sockets. The shackles on his ankles were much looser, the chains possibly two feet in length. His head was hanging limply, his untidy hair hiding much of his face. He did not move, and he was silent as death.

The sound of approaching footsteps could be heard, and his body tensed painfully, although he otherwise did not move. Perhaps they would pass him by. Perhaps he would be left alone. Perhaps he would finally get to sleep. He would have grimaced, but he no longer felt like he could control his face any longer. He couldn't smile, frown, or scowl. He could barely talk, and it was almost too much for him to keep his eyes open. It had been this way for a week now. It might have been more, it might have been less. He didn't know anymore. He didn't know how much time had passed since he'd been brought here. All he knew was the pain he suffered almost unendingly.

The footsteps stopped, and the door creaked as it swung open, unleashing a blinding flood of light into the room. The man cringed, the chains rattling as his body shifted ever so slightly in his instinctive urge to flee, to hide. He heard laughter, that same cold harsh laughter he'd heard every day since he'd been brought here.

"Pathetic. But then again, I'm not sure I'm surprised. You're weak, boy. You always have been."

He felt a large hand grab him by his hair, yanking his head back. The man cried out, feeling a knife against his back. He gritted his teeth, inhaling sharply as he felt the blade cut through his tunic into his flesh. He felt warm blood trickle down his back.

"Just think..." the voice said again, releasing him, "If she'd just come for you, you wouldn't have to suffer like this. Because of her, you are forced to endure this every passing day."

"She's smarter than you think..." the man replied bitterly, "She probably suspects your true intentions... She won't come..."

"Perhaps..." the voice replied, and the man felt the cold kiss of steel run along the back of his neck, "But I grow impatient... She will come to me... by her own free will... or by force."

The man's hair was pulled again and this time he was stabbed in his side, and he shouted with pain. The blade was twisted in the wound and forcefully withdrawn, causing blood to spill down his body. There was the laughter again, cold and blood-chilling in his ear. He shuddered, and his head sank as he was released.

"You are nothing, boy, you never were, and never will be. She _will_ come. And she _will_ belong to me."

The door slammed shut, casting him into the blinding darkness once more.

~'*`~

She sat by the window, staring out into the night. Her blue eyes were calm, and her hand brushed her golden hair, which had been cut to chin-length just moments ago. She was dressed plainly, wearing a simple white blouse and blue skirt, a turquoise sash tied around her waist. She pressed her forehead against the glass, closing her eyes. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't find the strength to start, or, if she did, to stop. Instead, she just sat there in silence, her body trembling slightly.

"...Zelda..."

Zelda opened her eyes, turning her head to look at Impa, who was watching her closely, her usually stern red gaze seemingly weary and concerned. Her white hair had grown possibly an inch or two over the past year or so, and she no longer had it tied back at the base of her neck, instead letting it hang freely, giving her a surprisingly gentler appearance. She was also dressed much more casually, wearing a long tunic and pants, and boots that came up to mid-calf.

The two had fled Hyrule Castle when Ganondorf had somehow escaped into Hyrule, and they had managed to make it to Kakariko. Surprisingly, neither the Sage nor the Princess was Ganondorf's target. They stayed at Impa's house in Kakariko, and they had been there for possibly two months, almost expecting Ganondorf's henchmen to show up at their front door and take them to the castle. After two months, they finally decided that Zelda had to change her appearance, take on a new identity, because she was the one whose life was at a greater risk.

"Impa..." Zelda breathed, turning back to the window, "...I want to be alone for a while..."

"Zelda... I've found out why Ganondorf hasn't come after us..." Impa said softly, not moving, "...He's taken Link captive... He's been torturing him for the past several months..."

"Link...!" Zelda echoed, her eyes widening. She grimaced, clenching her fists so tight that her knuckles all but turned white. "...Ganondorf never fails to prove just how low he can sink... Why would he make Link suffer like this... and for so long...?"

"I don't know," Impa replied, "But if we are to do anything, we need the other Sages..."

"...I know..." Zelda closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against the glass again. "...I want to be alone for a while...okay...?"

"...I understand." Impa bowed her head, and left the room in silence. Zelda sighed.

'_...Link... Be strong... We'll help you... Just as you helped us..._'

She felt herself separate from her body, breaking free of gravity and the laws of the world. She felt light, lighter than a feather, lighter than the air itself. She felt something splinter, shattering into many pieces. She was soaring, everything a blur beneath her. She could see the temples of Fire, Water, Forest, and Spirit, all at once. She could see the sages inside, confined to the rooms where the 'bosses' Ganon had assigned to the temples use to dwell. They seemed to react to her presence, though, immediately looking around trying to find the source of the energy they felt.

"_Darunia… Saria… Ruto… Nabooru… your powers as the sages are greatly needed… Link, the Hero of Time, has been taken by Ganondorf, and has been held captive for at least two months now… if we are to help him, we need to work together…_"

She paused, and all the sages seemed to nod in assent, each visibly worried at the information.

"_If we are to seal Ganondorf away once and for all, we may need to call upon the very Gods to aid us… We need to make sure there is no way he can escape this time._"

She lingered a moment longer and finally pulled back into her body. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking them a few times to make sure she was where she was supposed to be. She sighed again, pressing her forehead against the window, the glass cool against her flesh.

"…Zelda…"

Impa was back again.

"Did you call them?" she asked softly, walking forward slowly, putting one motherly hand on Zelda's shoulder.

"…Yes, I did… But I'm starting to worry that it might not be enough…" She turned her head slightly to look at Impa. "We may need to call on the powers of the very gods to banish him completely…"

"…Then we Sages would need to commune with the Gods… ask them for help…" Impa's voice remained soft, almost inaudible. She tightened her grip on Zelda's shoulder a little. "…Will you be all right by yourself for a little while?"

"…Yes. Go do what you have to. I will be fine waiting for you." Zelda reached up and lightly squeezed Impa's hand. "…Be careful, Impa… I can't lose you, too…"

"I will be fine." Impa smiled, patting Zelda's shoulder. "I have endured much in my life. A brief trip into the Shadow Temple won't kill me off that easily." She pulled Zelda into a motherly embrace. "Take care of yourself while I am gone."

"Alright. Thank you, Impa."

Impa smiled, pulling away from Zelda—albeit reluctantly. After maybe a moment's hesitation, she turned and left, heading straight for the Shadow Temple, wanting to commune with the Shadow God as soon as possible so she could return to Zelda.

~'*`~

He stood by the window, staring out into the darkness, his hand pressed against the side of his head, his other hand braced against the wall to keep himself standing. He was starting to look pale, or, rather, paler than usual, his silver hair hanging limply as it framed his face. Silver eyes stared out into the darkness, as though to expecting to see monsters leap out from the trees, ready to devour them whole.

"Seiryu…?"

He started, jolted out of his reverie.

"Seiryu, please come away from the window… please tell me what's wrong…"

Seiryu sighed, managing a weak smile as he shook his head, to clear away those wild, fearful thoughts. He was, for once, thankful to hear his name, his given name. He had been hiding from it for so long, up until maybe a year after he'd been wed to his beloved, to his friend of many years. Of many centuries, in fact.

He was what one would call a God, or, rather, he used to be. He had once been an immortal, the god of the Sheikah, of the very Shadows, the illegitimate son of the God of Death and the Goddess of Life, the demon child born of such a union. As a result, he bore the silver hair and eyes, the marks of the demon. His hair, which used to just barely hang past his shoulders, now reached past his shoulder blades, reaching the middle of his back. He made a habit of dying it black to keep up his usual appearance, kept it tied back at the base of his neck, and he let his bangs—which easily reached about half and inch below his chin—frame his pale face, never bothering to cut them or even tuck them behind his ears. He had long since set aside his kimono and hakama, wearing a simple blood-red tabard, black pants and a black shirt, and boots and gauntlets made of black leather. He still had his old clothes, as well as his father's haori, but he only wore them on special occasions, celebrations, and get-togethers with the rest of the family. He had undergone quite a few changes. Perhaps the biggest change of all—and the most important one, no doubt—was his willingness to get rid of the nickname he'd hidden behind for so long, and accept his true name, his true self, which had taken him thousands of years to do.

He was no longer Kage, but—

"—Seiryu…"

Seiryu turned around obediently, giving his wife a gentle smile to show that he had acknowledged her worries. Shiori had changed quite a bit since they'd first met, eons ago. Back then, she was very tomboyish, keeping her hair really short, the black and silver of her hair mixed and unkempt, and she always wore black robes, and a scarf over her left eye. Now, she was starting to look a little more feminine. She'd let her hair grow long, the silver of her hair only framed her face, never straying beyond her bangs, and she was starting to dress a little more ladylike, and she had rid herself of the scarf completely. She, too, was a demon, although a lesser demon compared to Seiryu. Only her bangs were silver, and only her left eye was a piercing silver. Now that the color had dulled, somewhat, due to her becoming a mortal—the one choice that had actually led the two deities to finally come together and admit their feelings for one another—she didn't have to hide it behind the scarf, although the scarf had indeed held a much more important task. Shiori's left eye held the power of a second sight, and she was able to see _beyond_, viewing past, present, and even the future, as well as into other realms. Because of that, she often saw horrors that could easily scar or break one's mind, and so, to avoid that, she rendered herself blind, blind to this second vision, by shutting it out unless she called upon it. Again, mortality had caused that to dull, to ebb away with the ravages of time. Now, she had no need to fear such horrors. Especially because she had Seiryu with her.

"I heard you, Shiori, I wasn't ignoring you. I just… had something on my mind."

He walked over to where Shiori sat, bending down to kiss her cheek gently before sitting in another chair, pulling it over so that he sat next to her. He then couldn't help but turn his attention to the tiny bundle in her arms, the sleeping silver-haired infant swaddled in a light blanket. Their son, given the name Shale, who had been born into the family maybe six months before.

"…If you want to hold him, you can. You're not going to break him, Seiryu."

Seiryu blinked, starting slightly as he turned his attention back to Shiori. Before he knew it, Shale had been placed in his arms, and he was cradling the infant close, smiling down at him adoringly.

"…He's just like you were when you were young," Shiori commented with a smile.

"…Maybe. At his age I was always hiding under my bed because people were always mean to me." He laughed at the memory, but he fell silent as he heard the fifth step from the top of the stairs creak under the weight of a tiny foot. Seiryu smiled, lifting his head slightly, turning to glance at the interruption. "Come on down, Aki. You don't need to hide."

Ah yes, Aki. Aki was a young child, and Seiryu's son through a different relation with the alpha female of the Ghost Dragons, one that he wasn't proud of or happy about, and the only thing he was willing to accept from the forced relationship was his son, whom he cherished. Aki was fond of Shiori, and the feeling was mutual, but when Seiryu and Shiori were expecting Shale's birth, things became a little uneasy. Aki had been starting to feel afraid, afraid that the birth of a new child would make him unwanted, the 'red-headed step-child.' But, in spite of his fears, Seiryu and Shiori still held him close, if not closer than before, and Shale and Aki were quick to bond.

Aki was soon at Seiryu's side, staring curiously at Shale. Because of his dragon blood, he aged slowly, and still maintained the height and countenance of a six year old, even though he was several hundreds of years old, and it had been about five years since he and Seiryu had first been introduced. Seiryu smiled and handed Shale to Aki, and the boy grinned, taking his younger brother carefully, grinning from ear to ear in excitement.

"Seiryu… what's on your mind?" Shiori's voice cut into him like a knife, and Seiryu shuddered, closing his eyes.

"…There are voices in my head, Shiori… prayers… someone is seeking my aid… my guidance…" He held his hand to his head. "It is almost maddening…"

"…You are not the God of Shadows anymore, Seiryu," she said softy, placing one hand on his cheek. "You can not be expected to suddenly rise up to smite the evil that threatens Hyrule, especially not now."

"I know… but I don't know how long I can last. These prayers are strong. The voices won't leave." His hand was gently placed on her own. "I may need to respond eventually." He hesitated, smiling. "You don't need to worry. It'll be all right." He leaned forward and kissed her gently. Shiori smiled, and nodded, and turned her attention to the two children.

"All right, Aki. Bedtime for you both."

Seiryu couldn't help but smile as he watched her lead Aki up the stairs, taking Shale from him only because the infant had woken up and was beginning to fuss. When they vanished from view, his smile faded, and he looked out the window.

'…_I am not the God of Shadows anymore… but I still owe it to Hyrule to act as its guardian…_'

* * *

**Author's Notes:** YAY! New Zelda story! and this is a sequel to Children of the Gods so if you're confused... TOUGH! Go read it now! Whee... lots of foreshadowing and angst... enjoy!

**Edit (8/24/09):** Touched up a bit to better separate the story segments.


	2. Chapter 2

Warning: This chapter is mainly Link-torture. I didn't mean for it to take up a whole chapter, but it did. If you can't handle it, either skim through it, or skip. You can pick up with the next chapter, which won't be so dark. Promise.

...Enjoy... if you can...

* * *

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Two**

Link was rudely brought back into consciousness by a piercing pain to his left hand, causing his eyes to snap open, sapphire orbs shrinking in fear as he immediately sought out the disturbance. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, even though the room was dimly lit by the glowing red embers and coal in a large brazier that sat maybe three feet away. His attention was drawn to three dark shapes, one large figure flanked by two smaller ones. The smaller two were guards, glaring at him in the darkness with golden amber eyes, their faces hidden by their masks. His gaze then shifted to the dark shape before them, a large, hulking figure that easily towered over him. His eyes widened in fear, staring up into that cold, hateful face, those reddish-amber eyes, that wild, flaming red hair.

"…Ganondorf…"

His voice was hoarse, and it was hard to speak, considering he'd been doing six months worth of screaming. At first, he would fight and yell and do anything in his power to be as insubordinate as possible, but the first two months of torture had quickly broken his spirit. Now he was always afraid of anything that moved, especially with red hair, golden eyes, and a dark complexion. He still would not speak, would not give them one scrap of information that they desired, even though they had all but broken him by now.

The Gerudo King smirked at Link, who cringed under his gaze. "Well, boy, have you decided to be obedient today?" Link grimaced, but did not respond. He instead diverted his attention from the man to figure out where he was. He was still in that dark cell, but he had been moved again. He was now fastened to the wall, shackles on his wrists. He was suspended maybe half a foot or more from the ground, so that he was eye-level with the Evil King. His gauntlets and boots had been removed, and his shirt had been torn down the middle, exposing his torso. His legs hung as though pinned together, his arms spread out at his sides.

'_Like some sick, mock crucifixion…_' he thought bitterly.

There was a sharp twinge in his left hand, and he grimaced, turning his head to look. A dagger, one he recognized as the one Ganon usually kept strapped to his leg, had been driven into his hand, and embedded deeply in the wall behind him. Blood cascaded down the stone wall like a waterfall, painting it with another tortured soul at the mercy of the Evil King.

"Answer when you're spoken to!"

He was rudely brought back to reality by the back of Ganondorf's fist, which, had he not reacted in time, could easily have broken his nose. Link coughed several times, spitting blood on the ground, accidentally hitting Ganondorf's boot. One of the guards started forward, but a sharp glare from the Evil King made her step back again. Ganon grabbed Link's chin, forcing the Hero to lift his head, forcing him to stare into those cruel, red-amber eyes.

"I can see the fear in your eyes, boy. I can tell you're very much afraid of me. You can easily free yourself from this pain."

Link grimaced, closing his eyes. No… he couldn't…

"Tell me where she is… and you will be released."

"No."

"No?" Ganondorf looked mildly surprised, but he smirked. "Boy, you are merely digging your own grave in being so stubborn… Just tell me where she is, and your pain will cease."

Link's response was immediate. He spat in the Gerudo's face, on purpose this time, striking the man's cheek with a mix of blood and saliva. "I won't condemn her to a living hell… _never_… you hear me, Ganon?!" he growled. The Gerudo King scowled darkly, wiping his face, and immediately backhanding Link again. Link's head felt like it was spinning from the blow. The world certainly looked like it, as everything was a whirling blur of light and color. He could feel hands working to free the bonds for his right hand, which hung dead at his side when it was released. There was a sharp pain as he hung suspended from his left arm, the wound in his hand stretching as gravity pulled on his frail body. He grimaced in pain, his eyes shutting tightly. His right arm moved to claw at the shackle binding his left wrist, but his arm was grabbed roughly, forcibly extended into the darkness.

"Begin."

One simple, gruff command, and pain immediately followed. His eyes shot open as he felt his hand plunged into the brazier, into the burning embers which clung to his flesh, eating through him, burning straight to the bone. Pain shot through his arm, and he thrashed violently, a loud cry tearing from his chest. He immediately regretted the movement as he felt the knife stretching the wound in his hand. He froze, his breath catching in his chest as he fought to ignore the searing pain, his breath coming as sharp hisses through his teeth.

It ended as quickly as it had begun, his hand released, allowed to fall to his side. It was shaking violently, twitching painfully. He hung there for a moment, gasping for breath, unable to move as he felt the guards bind his right arm again. He whimpered silently as he felt the familiar heat against the flesh of his stomach. He cringed and pressed himself against the wall, trying desperately to escape it, but there was no way to evade it. The searing heat of the coal was pressed to his stomach, forcing another cry from his lips as the flesh felt as though it was about to burst into flames at the contact. Another coal pressed to his flesh, against his breast, and another loud cry followed. It seemed to drag on endlessly, his own living hell of fire and stone. While it only lasted for a few minutes, it felt like hours to the poor Hylian, his throat too sore to scream, although the pain was evident on his face.

"Give it up, _Hero_," the Gerudo King said with a sneer, "You can't win this one. Just tell me where she is and the pain will cease." Link opened his eyes, looking to the Gerudo in horror, the look of defiance burning ever strongly in his eyes. "I will find her, whether you cooperate or not. And I will be sure to make you watch every moment of the torture I will put her through if you don't tell me where she is _now_!" Something in Link snapped, and he retaliated, kicking one of the guards in the wrist, forcing her to cry out. The tongs were knocked out of her hand, and the coal was sent flying. It hit its target, striking Ganondorf on his right cheek, startling both guards as well as the Evil King. He was quick to react, and Link soon realized that his action had been a very, _very_ bad move.

The first thing Ganondorf did was grab the brazier and hurl it at the blond. The brazier struck his right leg, nearly shattering the bone. However, what hurt worse was the shower of embers that covered the young Hylian's body. He screamed, despite the pain in his throat, feeling the red-hot embers burning into his flesh, on his torso, legs, and the area in between. The embers clung to his clothes, burning away the fabric, but not actually catching fire. The scream died soon enough, and the young Hero was aware that there were tears on his face from the pain of the embers. Because the dying embers clung to him, they would last a while. But the worst was yet to come.

He opened his eyes and looked at the Gerudo King, who was glowering at him, beside himself in his rage. There were no words to describe the look of fury on Ganondorf's face, as even his own subjects had now fled him to the dark corners farthest from him, not wanting to get between him and the foolish Hero that had retaliated and actually succeeded in striking him.

"You should not have done that…"

'_I did worse when I first fought you,_' Link thought, opening his mouth to speak, but the words would not come out. He felt as though his vocal cords were stretched thin, unable to work. He watched as Ganondorf crushed the coal in his hand, not reacting to its heat.

"I'll show you what happens when you _really_ piss me off, _boy_…"

The Gerudo King advanced, and Link grimaced, struggling against his bonds. He saw the red glow in Ganondorf's hand, and he winced, beginning to realize just what the Gerudo King intended to do. He felt those thick fingers entwined in his hair, felt his head tipped back, and he saw the glow of the coal in Ganon's hand. He immediately shut his eyes, and a howl of pain was torn from his throat as the searing heat burned into his left eyelid. If he had thought anything else had hurt before, they were no where _near_ as bad as what this was like. He screamed as he felt the embers burn his flesh, and it was no surprise that everyone in the castle was aware of his agony.

The instant it was over, his hair was released, and his head hung limply from his shoulders, dry sobs and whimpers escaping his throat. He coughed, blood dripping from his lips. His throat had been worn out from two month's worth of screaming. That last bout had done him in, and he had apparently torn something. His vocal cords felt like they were in shreds.

"Now, _boy_… Remember that the next time you decide to be insubordinate. You have one of your eyes left. Be _grateful_."

Link only nodded weakly, a soft whimper escaping him. He heard their footsteps moving away, the groaning of the door as it opened, flooding the room with unbearably blinding light, and then the slam as it shut, casting him in darkness once more.

He hung there in silence for quite a while, silent sobs and violent tremors wracking his frail form. He coughed again, sending a spray of blood flying past his lips, staining the remains of his frayed shirt and tunic. He winced as he lifted his head, his matted blond bangs falling on his burned, scarred eyelid. His face screwed up in a grimace of pain and he hung his head again, whimpering and sobbing softly to himself.

'_Oh Goddesses… why… why…_'

Why what? They weren't at all responsible for anything that had happened. In his past ten years or so of life, Link had become much more familiar with the ways of the Gods, aware of what they could and could not do, what was within their power and what was without, of what was allowed of them, and what was forbidden. He knew that there was no possible way for the Goddesses to have done _anything_ to help. Not without negative consequences anyway.

Stupid Divine Laws.

He relaxed, feeling tears escaping his good eye. What escaped his left eye was much thicker, much more viscous.

Blood.

'_Din… Farore… Nayru…_'

He winced mentally. When did he start calling them by name? …Oh yeah. Kage's… Seiryu's wedding. Around that time. It always felt weird addressing the deities like they were his equals. But… Seiryu had threatened to hit Link several times if he didn't start calling them by name. It didn't take long for Link to catch on. He managed to get into the habit with only a few bruises. And a rattled skull.

But then again, what was it he had been told? Along the lines of prayers? Oh yeah. The deities couldn't actually hear them unless they were addressed by name. And they could also 'screen' out most prayers, allowing them to hear only those that were important. It helped to keep them from going insane from the number of prayers they might hear a day. In a way, Seiryu was lucky. Despite having been the Sheikain deity, few Sheikah remained that still looked to him for anything.

'_Please… keep her safe… keep them all safe… Please…_'

He sighed, letting his body relax, ignoring the way the blade in his hand stretched the wound. The pain in his eye had been a hell of a lot worse. He had all but forgotten about the dagger. He barely felt it now.

'_That's all I ask of you… keep them safe…_'

Can't ask more of them, can he? They didn't owe him anything, and he hadn't really done anything that could gain their favor. All he could ask was that they keep Ganon from getting to Them, from getting what he wanted.

He felt his body losing strength, his mind losing focus. His mind was losing control, starting to go all over the place as he slipped into unconsciousness.

'_Maybe the Sages aren't strong enough to seal him away this time through…_'

The thought vanished from his mind before he could really process it.

'…_Goodnight…_'

Darkness.

* * *

Author's Notes: Eeeeee... I hadn't meant for that to take up the whole chapter... poor Link. He's gonna kill me.

And I think that's pushing the T rating. If you guys think I should change it to M now, let me know. I'll change it. The rest of the story won't be this graphic, I don't think. So... yeah... you guys tell me what you think.

The next chapter will be nicer, I promise.

And if you're confused at this point, it means you haven't read Children of the Gods. You don't have to read it if you don't want. Just contact me, or any one of my faithful readers who read it for a quick summary.

Oh, and by the way, since I forgot to mention it earlier, CotG was finished about a year and nine days after I started it. Much love to the people who endured that wait for twenty-five chapters of almost random crap.


	3. Chapter 3

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Three**

Zelda sat at the window, staring up at the darkened sky. Ever since Ganondorf had escaped the Sacred Realm and taken over Hyrule, the sky always seemed dark, overcast, and always had a reddish tinge. It was… unnerving. They had to do something about Ganon and fast… she didn't want this to be another seven long years of darkness…

A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts, and she rose to her feet uneasily, slowly going to the door, peering out the window to see whoever it was that had disturbed her train of thought. She was a little uneasy, especially because Impa had yet to come back. She had constant fears of Ganondorf's henchman showing up one day to take her to the castle. Sure, Impa had taught her to fight, but still… she couldn't help but be afraid…

To her surprise, no one was there. The village was just as dead and silent as it usually was, and she saw no movement whatsoever. She blinked confusedly, as though expecting something to just randomly jump out, but nothing did. She sighed, pulling away from the door, heading back to her window. She was barely halfway across the room when she heard another knock, and she froze in mid-step. Immediately she whirled about, hurrying back to the door. Forget looking through the window. She pulled the door open, half expecting to find herself staring at the point of a spear or the blade of a sword…

"Zelda?"

Instead she found herself face to face with Nabooru and Ruto, both of them fully clothed to hide themselves from prying eyes. By 'fully clothed', that meant long shirt, long pants, boots, and hooded cloaks and scarves to hide their faces. It was a bit of a surprise to see them like that. Zelda stared at them for a moment before stepping aside to let them in. The two sages hurried inside, and Zelda immediately closed the door behind them. She watched as they fought to take off the cloaks and scarves. Ruto looked especially annoyed with the clothes, her body being more affected by the temperature.

"Why…?"

"We had to do something to keep from being noticed," Nabooru replied, "The sight of a Gerudo around here is enough to send a whole village into complete pandemonium, and it's uncommon to see a Zora around here as well. We can't let Ganondorf know we're here."

Once the two had shed the excess clothing and were now wearing their usual style of dress, Zelda noticed how the two had changed over the years. Nabooru seemed just as rugged as ever, perhaps more so now that her hair was cut to about shoulder length. She was still wearing her usual Gerudo regalia, except she now wore a loose vest as well, and she also had gotten rid of her jewelry, and she carried her swords with her at all times. Ruto seemed more or less the same, maybe a little more mature, and she wore an indigo dress, for no particular reason that she cared to share.

"…I take it you managed to commune with the Gods and ask for their help?" Zelda asked as she sat down at the table.

"Yeah," Ruto replied, "Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard… Lord Jabun seemed all too eager to help out. He mentioned something about owing it to his kin… though I don't know what he meant by that."

"Lady Suna mentioned something similar, but she said it under her breath, and I didn't dare to ask about it." Nabooru frowned thoughtfully. She sighed and gave a small shrug. "Well, there's nothing we can do about that for now… Hey, where's Impa anyway?"

"She's still in the Shadow Temple. I don't know why she's taking this long…"

"Maybe the Shadow God is just being difficult?" Nabooru asked.

"No… From what Impa told me, he's supposed to be very kind and nurturing, despite the rumors of him being a demon. He actually used to live among the Sheikah because he cherished them as more than just his creations, but as his family."

"Jeez, sounds like something out of some childish fairy tale…" Nabooru muttered.

"Well, that's what I was told…"

"Hey, guys? Come here a second… You need to see this."

The two women looked over at Ruto, who held up one hand, waving slightly, beckoning them to come over. They heeded to the Zora princess's call, moving towards the window to look outside and see what she was pointing at. Outside, just down the hill at the old Skulltula house, they could see a woman outside, looking over her two children, watching them play. She looked very much like Zelda, short golden-blond hair, pale ivory complexion, thin frame, and she was dressed rather plainly, in a simple dark blue dress with sleeves that reached mid-forearm, and a plain white apron tied around her waist. They couldn't see her face very well, but they could see a small, fatigued smile on her face, and they could tell there was no feeling behind it.

The two children were happily at play. They were twins--one boy, one girl--both with the same gold-spun hair as their mother. They appeared to be around ten years of age, and as a result the girl was slightly taller. Both of the twins wore short green tunics and white shorts, and they were both running around barefoot on the dying grass. The boy had a hat on his head, similar to the style that the Hero of Time wore, which his sister kept snatching, and he would protest and chase her around. It was an amusing sight, and one that surprisingly seemed to lift the spirits of the three observing women.

"Well, isn't that a rare sight… I'm shocked that she would dare to go outside with young children during such dangerous times, especially because no one else dares to venture outdoors." Nabooru breathed, "Who is she?"

"I don't know, really… they showed up sometime after Ganondorf returned…" Zelda narrowed her eyes slightly to look at the woman. "…She seems… so sad… even though her children are so carefree, like they don't know what's going on in the 'outside world…'"

"…They know… and they understand their mother's pain…"

Nabooru and Zelda blinked confusedly, looking over at Ruto. Ruto had a rather sad, pensive expression on her face, her half-lidded azure gaze locked on the image of the family below. "…They're putting on an act… trying to pretend everything is all right… so she won't be sad… their father is gone, and it's because of Ganondorf, and they know it… but… they refuse to be scared, to be sad… they have to pretend it's all right, pretend that nothing's wrong… just so they don't have to see their mother cry…" She bit her lip uneasily. "…Suddenly it all makes sense…"

Moments passed in silence, the two 'human' sages staring in confusion at the Zora princess. Finally, hand trembling, as though afraid to break the tension in the air, Zelda lightly placed her hand on Ruto's shoulder, mildly startling the Zora, who appeared to be on the brink of tears.

"Ruto… how do you know this?"

Ruto managed a small smile, responding in a weak, shaky voice. "…I did it too… when my mother fell ill… Everyone tried to hide it from me, make me think that everything was okay… even my father… But I knew… and she knew… that she wasn't going to live. I would spend as much time with her as possible, all the while pretending that everything was fine, that she was still healthy… and my father scolded me for it, saying I was pushing her too hard… I still remember those final days… as sad as she was… I could still make her smile… just by pretending everything was just the same as it had always been, before she'd gotten sick."

Zelda was silent, but the look on her face proved that yes, she knew what Ruto meant. She'd done the same when her own mother had fallen ill. She could remember her mother's smile. Even through her pain and sorrow, it was still a happy one. Even if, in the end, they couldn't save their mothers, the least they were able to do was make them happy, give them a final happy moment to cling to before they left this world for the next.

"…I can understand what that's like… I did the same thing for my own sister…"

Ruto and Zelda looked over at Nabooru, who was looking out the window at the small family, who were currently being ushered inside by their mother. "… when I was still a child, back when even Ganondorf was still a child… and a much more likeable person… there was a terrible draught, and because of the war, even as it was nearing its end, we had no way to purchase food, much less grow our own. What food and water we had was rationed, and many fell ill and died. My sister was one of those who was at risk of getting sick, because she was a good five years younger than me. So, whenever I would fix food for us, even when we had to cut back to one meager meal a day, I always gave her the bigger portions, and would just pretend that I had already eaten some of mine. My hard work paid off, and we both survived the drought, and we were happy to eat and drink our fill when the rain finally came."

"…I didn't know you had a sister…" Zelda said softly.

"…I didn't know you were that old," Ruto commented, staring at Nabooru with a bewildered expression on her face. The second comment earned a hearty laugh from the older woman.

"Ah, knowledge of my sister is unknown by anyone that isn't Gerudo. Link got to meet her though, although I doubt he knows who she is. She's my second-in-command." She grinned at Ruto, full, painted lips parting to reveal surprisingly even teeth. "As for my age, that's because I take care of myself. I'm in my thirties now, but normally you can't tell." She laughed proudly, tossing back her head. "That's the pride of the Gerudo! The harsh desert makes us strong, and we have to take care of ourselves to survive. Because of that, our hard work earns us our beauty and youthful appearance. Ganondorf slipped a little in that department because he relied to much on his magic."

Zelda couldn't help but giggle. "I guess that explains Twinrova."

From that comment, laughter ensued, filling the whole house, even as the three women doubled over in their mirth.

Because of their distraction, they failed to notice the solemn blue-and-silver gaze that peered up at them from below before young Raven vanished into the building that was his new, temporary home.

'

"Where'd Mom go?"

"To bed. She took those pills again." Mable sighed heavily, slinking down in a corner, sighing heavily as she closed her eyes. "No matter what we do, she always gets sad and cries herself to sleep…"

"Well, remember what Dad said when Ganondorf first showed up?" Raven glanced over at his sister, his eyes of blue and silver mirror images of her own. "Ganondorf hurt Mom a long time ago, before you and I were born. That's what got them together remember?"

Mable nodded slowly. She remembered. Back when their Dad was still around, before he'd sent the three of them here, when Ganondorf had first showed up, they'd realized that their mother was… stressed, afraid. Terrified, even. When they'd asked about it, all their Dad would say was that Ganondorf had hurt their mother. Badly. But he wouldn't say anymore. Raven, wise beyond his years, whether his parents knew it or now, had his suspicions of what had happened. But he wasn't going to ask, especially if his suspicions proved to be true.

"…You went up the hill again, Raven."

"…Yes, I did." Raven sighed, looking out the dusty window, looking up at the house above. "That's where the true Queen of Hyrule is staying. I had wanted to talk to her, but those two people showed up. I thought they were the bad guys, but from the looks of it, they were Sages like Uncle Daru." He looked over at Mable. "I could see their thoughts. I knew they understood our problem."

"Raven--!"

"I _know_, Mable, but I didn't _mean_ to! It just happened!" Raven pouted, biting his lip. "I tried not to, but it happened…" Mable and Raven had been gifted with a telepathic ability since they were born. At first it was just with each other, but slowly they had been able to hear thoughts from other people. They tried to keep from doing it to avoid invading peoples' privacy, but sometimes it just… happened.

Mable sighed, leaning back against the wall. "…I wish Dad were here…"

"…I do, too, Mable…" Raven looked out the window, up at that house on top of the hill. "I do, too."

* * *

Disclaimer: Before I forget again. I don't own Zelda or its characters. Shiori, Seiryu, Aki, Shale, Mable, Raven, Yugi (the unnamed woman) belong to me, as do Suna and Jabun's human form, though they were based off real Zelda characters. It's complicated.

* * *

Author's Notes: WHEE! Been busy. .. School starts tomorrow. ... -cries- Anyways... yeah, if you don't know who Mable and Raven are and are HORRIBLY confused... go read Children of the Gods. XP Chapter 19-20 should be the right one to read, where the twins are introduced...

And I have NO idea what happened with Ruto or Zelda's moms, and I don't know if Nabooru has a sis, much less if its her second-in-commad (whom Link DOES meet!). It was just something to write LEAVE ME ALONE! -cries-

And by the way, if you actually LIKE this story and WANT to keep getting alerts about when I post a new chapter... you need to change your settings so you can get alerts for rated M stories. I've been thinking... and chapter 2, though it's the worst part of the story, was WAY too graphic for T rating. So, to keep myself out of trouble, I need to change it. Sorry!


	4. Chapter 4

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Four**

"How much further, Daru?"

"We've got a ways to go. The forest had changed for the worse since _he_ came back."

Darunia pushed aside a dying tree, a frustrated scowl plastered on his face. Well sure, he almost always looked like that, but this was his "really friggin' pissed off" scowl. Saria was seated on his shoulders, ducking the low branches that came her way. She was just the same as ever, which wasn't a big surprise seeing as the Kokiri never grow up anyway.

"So how did it go with Lord Volvagia?"

"…Awkwardly." A gruff reply from the annoyed Goron.

"Awkward for you or him?" Saria asked innocently.

"Me."

"I see… the whole 'tried to kill each other last time this happened' thing?"

"…You could say that…"

Saria smiled slightly, but it soon vanished, a mask of sorrow appearing on her face. "…It's frightening, though… that Ganondorf has the power to affect the very gods themselves…"

"Volvagia, Koboku, Jabun, Suna… even the three goddesses are wary of that man…" Darunia breathed uneasily. '_Not to mention Yugi…_' he thought, grimacing at the memory.

"Who knows what he's capable of _now_… since he has the Triforce of Power _and _the Triforce of Courage…" She trailed off, biting her lip uneasily as she thought of Link, of the state he might be in… He had been captive for _months_. If he was still alive, who knew how his mind and spirit had suffered…

Darunia sensed her discomfort and immediately knew what it was about. He came to a stop, large, muscled arms reaching back to pick her up, holding her in front of him so he could see her better. "Come on, now, there's no need to be upset," he said, managing a grin, "Link'll be fine. He's gotten out of worse situations."

Not that he could really think of any right now.

Apparently Saria was thinking that exact thing as her face fell, causing Daru's own smile to fade. He was silent for a moment longer, and then he exhaled sharply, hoisting Saria up onto his shoulders again.

"Have a little faith! Link's gotten us all out of trouble before. He can cover his own ass until we get to 'im!" Darunia grinned, flexing his muscles in excitement. "We'll rescue 'im, and we'll make Ganondorf wish that he'd never been born!"

Saria giggled. The Goron was quite a sight to behold, reminding her of some of the Kokiri boys, always pumped and ready for action, wanting to fight anything that moved that wasn't a girl. "You're right, Daru. Thanks." She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek in thanks. The Goron merely grinned.

"All right! Let's go!"

With that, he charged forward, both sages filled with a more burning desire, with, if at all possible, greater determination to save their friend.

'

Night had fallen hours ago, and still Zelda could not sleep. She was worried about Impa… she still hadn't returned from the Shadow Temple. The temple was a dangerous place. It wasn't safe, even for the Sage of Shadow. All Zelda coulddo was worry about her nanny. She was the closest thing Zelda ever had to a mother after her birth mother had died. She couldn't lose Impa too…

She could still hear the lullabye in her head… the one Impa would play for her as a child in order to lull her to sleep…

'…_Wait a minute…_'

She stood, moving quickly towards the window, pressing her ear against the glass. …Yes! Someone was playing her song! It had to be Impa! She had to be back!

She rushed out the door, looking around frantically for the source of the music. Impa was nowhere in sight, though. The only living things she saw… were the children from before. The girl was sitting on the fence of the old Skulltula house, her brother sitting on the steps below. They were both playing ocarinas. The girl's was a light brown color with a small green triangle on the mouthpiece, and the boy's was a royal blue color…

'_The Ocarina of Time!_'

The twins had been the ones playing her song, in perfect harmony, but they had now stopped, staring at her in confusion. Their mismatched eyes startled her at first, but she soon regained her composure, clearing her throat as she took a few steps toward them.

"…Where… did you hear that song…?"

The twins merely blinked, exchanging glances with one another. The girl swung one leg over the fence and she began to climb down, her brother standing and taking her ocarina so she wouldn't drop it.

"…What's wrong?" Zelda asked.

"…We're not s'posed to talk to strangers…" the girl said meekly, dropping softly to the ground."

"…I see… can you at least tell me… where you heard that song…?" Zelda asked, her hands clasped tightly over her chest, over her heart. "That song… is a song connected to the royal family… only those tied to Hyrule's royal family know it…" The twins stared at her for a long time before exchanging glances again, seeming as though they were holding a silent conversation amongst themselves.

"…Our Daddy taught us," the boy replied, looking over at her again, "He taught us both how to play when we were really little… he taught us lots of songs to play. Like this one."

He put the ocarina to his lips, as did his sister, and they began to play the Song of Time. A chill seemed to run down Zelda's spine, her eyes widening as the pieces slowly fell into place.

"Your father… what is his name…?"

The twins stopped playing again, exchanging frantic glances with one another. Then, they inched towards the door. "…We gotta go…" They hurried inside, shutting the door and locking it. Zelda just continued to stare where the twins just were, slowly sinking to her knees.

'…_Link…_'

'

The night was unusually cold for some reason, but then again, Seiryu had come to expect strange weather during such hard times. His siblings had gone into hiding, quite aware of the Evil King's powers. They had no control over this land anymore, not while he was free. Zora's domain was in danger of freezing over again, thunderstorms raged in the south, a drought was gripping the east and vicious winds had manifested in the west. Everyone was in danger. If this continued, all of Hyrule would die out.

'…_We have to stop him…_' Seiryu thought bitterly, gripping his cloak tighter as another biting wind overwhelmed him, '_He's tearing this land apart. We need to stop him once and for all before he destroys all of Hyrule._'

He grimaced, thinking of his own wife and children. Immortals though they were, they too were suffering because of Ganondorf's reign of terror. Who could guess what Yugi and her children were going through, what with Link being captured and all…

There was a loud howl some distance away, and the former Shadow deity paid it no mind. He just shivered again, closing his eyes as he rested his head on his arms, which were folded over his knees. He managed to drift off into a dreamless sleep, but it didn't last long.

"…_traveling alone…_"

"…_must be one of _them_…_"

"…_have to act quickly…_"

Seiryu's keen ears picked up the faint voices with ease, but in his tired state he could only catch faint snatches of the conversation. He listened as footsteps drew closer, waiting until he could almost feel the warmth of the person standing right behind him…

He sprang backwards, launching himself at the person behind him, his hands gripping the opponent's wrists. His opponent cried out in surprise, especially when he found himself on his back. Seiryu drew his legs in as he came close to landing, tucked into an almost fetal position before his hands lashed out and struck the ground, allowing him to vault himself into the air, righting himself in midair and landing gracefully on his feet, drawing his sword in preparation of the impending fight.

He found himself surrounded, seeing many darkly-clad warriors scattered around the field, keeping him contained within a somewhat large, misshapen circle. Seiryu merely smirked, baring his teeth as he laughed lowly. "Ganny's minions? Or mere ruffians? Either way, you picked the wrong person to pick a fight with!"

He wasn't wrong, either. Even as the warriors charged at him, he easily proved he was more than a match for the group. He didn't do them much harm, though. Even as the sound of metal striking metal filled the air, all Seiryu did was give them minor cuts along their legs, arms or hands, or he would simply disarm them. They refused to give up, though. They simply grabbed their weapons and dove right back into the fray, regardless of their wounds or fatigue.

"Jeez, why don't you just give up!" Seiryu groaned, rolling his eyes as he casually tripped one of his assailants, "If you keep going on like this, you're just going to get hurt!"

They didn't care obviously. They just continued to rush at him—or, at least, the ones that could still move. Soon, only one was left standing, and even he was unsteady on his feet. Seiryu sighed, lowering his sword. "Will you just give up now? This is getting us nowhere. Just back off and leave me be."

His opponent simply narrowed his eyes in disdain. Seiryu merely shrugged, raising his sword again. "All right then. Your loss." He waited in silence for his opponent to charge, but instead he found a spear coming at him from nowhere, likely thrown by one of the others. He quickly knocked it aside, but in doing so lowered his guard and in an instant found himself face-to-face with, not a man like he'd originally thought, but a woman. A Gerudo.

"You--!"

He was abruptly cut off by the woman's lips pressed to his own, feeling something forcing its way into his mouth, down his throat. Immediately he felt dizzy and weak, even as the woman had pulled away. He didn't even feel her fist connect with his jaw, nor the hard ground rushing up to meet him.

'_She… she drugged me!_'

That was his very last thought as he watched the Gerudo women surround him, eyes of golden amber gleaming viciously in the moonlight as his world slowly went black.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** OMFG, I'm SO sorry! It's been almost a year! O.O; I was so busy with my last year of high school I never got around to updating... then I was hit by major Writer's Sphere... Augh, I just want to cry. ;.;

Sorry this one's short. I'm out of 'shape' as far as my writing goes. I haven't written anything in almost a year. I tried, but I lacked the heart to write. I want to thank anyone and everyone who waited in hope of seeing me update again, which, at this point, may not be that many anymore. ;.;

I must apologize to anyone who's tried to reach me through AIM or YIM. I have been off the comp for several months because I've been busting my ass to graduate and now it's to survive college. x.x; Yay early admission.


	5. Chapter 5

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Five**

Dawn and dusk had come and passed, and still Zelda refused to leave the window. She spent the hours alternating from staring towards the graveyard, to staring down at the old Skulltula house at the base of the hill. Many times Nabooru and Ruto had tried to coax her away, but to no avail, and so the two women ventured elsewhere, trying to find their own ways to pass the time. There was really nothing that they could do without the help of the other Sages, and with Impa still in the temple, Darunia and Saria being unaccounted for, and Rauru having passed on nearly a year after the final battle with Ganondorf, they were pretty much out of options for the moment.

Ruto spent her time in almost constant prayer and meditation… something obviously uncharacteristic of the young Zora princess. At the same time, it came as no surprise… after all, she was one of the few girls that was still carrying a torch for the young Hero of Time. Hearing of his capture had probably hit her hard.

Nabooru, however, spent the hours pacing, constantly glancing out the window, as though waiting for something to happen. Had anyone asked, she would have explained, but since Zelda was distracted with the outside world and Ruto was in an almost desperate communion with her guardian deity, nobody seemed interested. Heck, that in itself seemed to add to her agitation. But for their sake, she kept herself quiet.

The moon was nearing its zenith in the sky when a rapid knocking sounded at the door, drawing the attention of all three women. Being the only one standing, Nabooru took the initiative, approaching the door and pulling it open a crack. Both Zelda and Ruto watch in silence as the Gerudo Sage carried on what seemed to be an extensive conversation with their anonymous visitor, exchanging curious glances with one another before looking back at Nabooru as she closed the door again. When she turned her head back to look at them, she gave them a rather smug grin.

"Fancy a little trip to the forest, ladies? My girls captured what they believe to be an agent of Ganon." She was already in the process of throwing on her cloak. "Perhaps we can get a bit of information out of him that can help our boy Link, something to use against that pig bastard."

"I'm in!" Ruto announced almost immediately, drawing her own cloak around her shoulders, raising her hood. "I can't stand not being able to do anything anymore! Ganon is going to pay for everything he's done, plus I still owe him some payback for freezing Zora's domain five years back." She cracked her knuckles.

"Slow down, Princess," Nabooru said with a laugh, "We're not going after Ganondorf just yet. Take it out on his little lackey first."

Zelda seemed hesitant at first, staring uneasily out the window for a brief moment. If she left the house, she could miss Impa's return… but she was sick of being cooped up inside the house… she was just like Ruto… like the other Sages… she had been sitting on the sidelines the entire time the last time Ganondorf was free in the world… now they had no choice but to man the front lines themselves.

If she was going to be of any use, she had to start doing things for herself finally and stop hiding.

Zelda took a brief moment to write out a note for Impa before grabbing her own cloak from its hook near the door. Pulling her hood up over her head, she gave Nabooru and Ruto a resolute nod. Nabooru simply grinned back, opening the door and letting both Princesses out of the house before herself, shutting the door quietly behind them as they stole away into the night. The Gerudo Sage led the way quickly, having to stop every so often to allow her royal charges to keep up.

Zelda couldn't help the surge of adrenaline rushing through her, the thought of being able to _do_ something… of being able to help the one man to whom all of Hyrule was indebted to. She could only remember one time in her life having to run like this… but it didn't weigh heavily on her at all. The adrenaline rush alone was enough to keep her going. Ruto seemed to be experiencing the same thing… the Zora princess seemed even more worked up than she was.

As they neared the entrance to the forest, Zelda couldn't help but nod to herself, reassuring herself of her own resolution to the task.

'_Just hold on a little while longer, Link… We'll be getting you out of there… soon…_'

~'*`~

He was bored.

It was written all over his face, presented in his body language. As much as his captives tried to ignore him, he knew his cold stare of boredom was bothering them. They couldn't stand to look him in the eye. So he kept staring, just to further annoy them, just to drive them _insane_.

Let it be known that Seiryu was never an icon of maturity, even in the most difficult of situations.

He had been left to sit in the center of his little clearing, surrounded by… one, two, three, four… five women. Gerudo, no less. At first glance, they seemed to be properly trained warriors… but he knew from the fight he'd been in with them the night before… they were hardly masters on the field of battle. They had tied his arms behind his back with a thin, silken rope. Whatever it was made of, it was definitely strong in spite of its size. Nonetheless… there was one thing that bothered him the most about this situation.

He had been caught by a bunch of amateurs.

By the GODS (oh the irony), was he stupid.

He was on the verge of laying down, sick of staring at these untrained women waiting for something to happen. He was bored, and he was in a hurry, but he couldn't do anything with them all present and conscious. What were they all standing around for anyways?

He was starting to teeter backwards when he heard footsteps approaching, three sets. They sounded pretty light… more Gerudo warriors-in-training?

He sat up straight, casting his bored gaze at the newcomers. He stared at them for a good few moments before rolling his eyes, leaning back slightly. Just his luck… Sages. The two princesses too. He could tell from the look in their eyes, they didn't recognize him (why would they, anyways? In spite of their roles as divine instruments, the Sages were fairly oblivious to the gods they served…). Heck, he could see it in their faces… they thought he was a bad guy. At least he'd confirmed one fact… the lot that had captured him was not of Ganon's army. Probably a good thing too… he would have lost respect for the Evil King if he had lackeys of this caliber…

Seiryu groaned, rolling his eyes again. He was missing out on precious sleep for _this_…?

"So this is him?" Out of his peripheral vision, he could see the Gerudo Sage approaching him, bearing an air of confidence, but at the same time proving herself to be wary of him. The two princesses kept their distance, staring at him rather fixedly. The Zora Sage seemed to be giving him some sort of silent accusation, while Hyrule's princess fair just stared at him with a look of obvious unease. Just for the hell of it, to alleviate some boredom, Seiryu leaned forward, craning his neck at an awkward angle just to glare up at her, his expression belying his obvious boredom, just to weird her out in some way. She proved herself immediately to be a stronger woman than her clanmates that had captured him.

"We found him traveling alone through the forest in the dead of night," one of the guards spoke up, glancing down at him briefly, only to avert her gaze when he decided to stare back at her. "He was headed in the direction of Kakariko Village—"

"So sorry to seem suspicious, but seriously, a group of women wandering around the forest in the dead of night… Doesn't that seem just as suspicious?" Seiryu tipped his head back, staring up at the sky in absolute boredom. "Come ooooooooon, you can come up with better reasons to jump some poor guy in the dead of night, while he's trying to sleep no less…"

One of the guards decided to punish him by nudging his side with the butt of her spear. His retaliation? He let his teeth speak for him, biting down into the shaft of her spear, snapping the wood in two effortlessly. The guard jumped away instinctively, as though expecting to be bitten next, while the others raised their weapons uneasily. He couldn't help but feel some sort of shock and embarrassment for the lot… the wood was too brittle to be a proper weapon. Sure, he had a strong jaw like a dragon, but seriously, no weapon should break that easily. It was just an embarrassment.

The former shadow god simply snorted, spitting out the remains of the broken weapon. "You can't even make your own weapons right! How did I get caught by a bunch of amateurs like you?!" He sneered. "This is humiliating."

The Gerudo Sage simply laughed, grabbing him by the front of his tunic. He had to commend her for her strength… she actually managed to lift him some two feet off the ground. She actually had him on his up on knees. "Humiliating or not, I think you just confirmed a little something for us, though… No human alive could do that much damage with his _teeth _alone, no matter how brittle the wood is." He had to give her credit for that point. "So there's obviously more to you than meets the eye. And you're going to tell us what it is."

"And if I don't?"

"We'll beat it out of you."

Now it was Seiryu's turn to laugh. It was probably a stupid thing to do. He was mortal now… they likely had the means put him in a lot of pain. But still, he couldn't help but laugh. He liked this girl… she got straight to the point, and she was very blunt about it. He couldn't help but wonder… did she really know who he was?

No… it couldn't be. His name and appearance had long since vanished into obscurity over the centuries. The only people who should know of him had to be of Sheikain descent. Sages or not, these people had lived their lives rather obliviously, unaware of their own role, let alone the world outside their own homes. It was a miracle they knew about their OWN gods, let along those guarding the other races. She had to be talking about something else…

His laughter was cut short when he heard… footsteps? Well, they sounded way too loud to be human. They sounded ridiculously heavy… whatever it was, it had to be pretty large.

"…Do you have friends coming this way?"

His question went unanswered, obviously, as his captors were distracted by the noise. It was drawing closer and closer, and it seemed to be bearing down on them with alarming speed. The guards seemed a little unnerved, but they raised their weapons almost immediately. The Gerudo Sage dropped him heavily, and Seiryu actually fell back a bit, managing to catch himself before he could hit his head. He would have complained, but he had to admit, the sound was bearing down on them way too quickly for comfort.

"What should we do? It's coming right toward us!" The currently weaponless guard seemed a little panicky. Oops.

"I know!" The Sage drew her own swords, motioning all the guards to stand behind her. "You lot just keep the princesses safe. I'll deal with whatever it is that's coming at us!" Seiryu had to give her credit… she was managing to stay so calm in such a situation, when even he didn't even know what was going on. The former shadow god groaned as he sat up. He wanted to do something… but just getting up would probably get himself injured in the crossfire. Stupid untrained, hair-triggered, warrior babies…

The wind shifted, and immediately the concern for his well-being flew out the window. The stench being carried on the wind threw all sense of self-preservation into high gear. Nothing these wannabes could do was anything like what was coming their way... he needed to get out, and he needed to go _now_.

He was on his feet in an instant, ready to run… but the instant he stood, he could hear the rustle of leaves as the intruder charged out into the clearing. He could hear the sounds of surprise from everyone present.

"You--!"

Seiryu sighed, rolling his eyes. Too late. He couldn't just run away now… he'd never hear the end of it.

Setting his jaw, he turned around… turning to face the horror that had come their way.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** For the first time in 3 years... I have updated Blackened Dawn. The chill you feel is correct. Hell has frozen over. If it hasn't, then it was probably Zora's Domain again.

Out of nowhere, I decided to one day reread my old works... and I have decided to myself to resume Blackened Dawn and to rewrite Hell Is For Children. I may even write Hell Is For Children in graphic novel/manga form someday, but for now, I'm just going to try writing again.

I must say it's a little odd writing Kage again... I've remade the Gods and Goddesses since then, and Seiryu is no longer what Kage used to be. However, for this story, he and his siblings shall remain as they always were. I just hope nothing seems inconsistent.

There's one person in particular I hope reads this if she can, because she's been reading my stories since the beginning, and she can tell me how much I have or have not improved over the years. Plus it would be nice to give her a feeling of nostalgia just as I did. But for now, enjoy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Six**

"Uh… Dare I ask what was going on here?"

Darunia looked about the clearing in confusion, looking from Nabooru to the group of women behind her. He could see a guy standing some few feet from the group, but he couldn't see his face very well. The guy was keeping his head turned, but Darunia could see a visible grimace on his face. What he could see of it anyways.

'_Why does he look familiar…?_'

"A little interrogation," Nabooru said firmly, sheathing her swords, "You gave us a bit of a scare, Darunia… you were so loud when you came charging in, we didn't know what to expect."

"Sorry. The little lady wanted to get to Kakariko as soon as possible."

"Hi guys." Saria beamed down at everyone from her perch atop Darunia's shoulders. "We were just heading your way. We got confirmation."

"So they'll help?" Zelda asked, taking a few steps towards them. Her voice had a hint of obvious desperation.

"Yeah," Darunia said with a nod. "Under normal circumstances, I would have expected a little bit of hesitance, at least in my case, but he was quite eager to assist."

"It's still frightening… to think that Ganon has power over the Gods themselves…" Saria's smile faded, and her blue eyes held a very heavy sadness within. "Even before he got a hold of the Triforce of Power… he was able to do so much damage…"

"You have no idea…" The voice didn't come from any of the women, but from the lone male standing amongst them.

"Wait a minute…" Darunia said slowly, setting Saria down on the ground, "I recognize that voice…"

"And what would you know of any of this?" Ruto asked, a note of obvious irritation in her voice as she glowered at the raven-haired man, storming over towards him.

"More than you do, princess," he gave her a rather annoyed look.

"I knew it!" Everyone jumped slightly at Darunia's exclamation. "I thought that was you, Kage!" He jabbed one finger in the man's way accusingly.

"That's not my name anymore," 'Kage' said with obvious annoyance, taking a step back away from Darunia. "Let's keep this happy reunion out of close contact. I can smell you from here."

"I told you it was the perfect way to kill you."

"Wait a minute, hold on," Nabooru said sternly, looking up at Darunia while motioning towards Kage. "You _know_ this guy?"

"Yeah," Darunia responded with a nod, "We have a bit of a history that goes back a few years. Why, what's going on?"

One of the guards spoke up. "We thought he might be an agent of Ganon's—"

"You _what?!_" Kage looked disgusted beyond description.

"Well, he was traveling alone and armed through the forest in the middle of the night. After the things that have been happening, not even the Kokiri venture out of their homes at night," the weaponless Gerudo spoke up.

Something in that conversation set Darunia off, and he couldn't help but laugh. Kage snarled. "Shut up, you rock-headed bastard!" That just made Darunia laugh harder.

"Trust me, this probably is one of the last guys in Hyrule that would serve Ganondorf," Darunia said as he managed to get his laughter under control. "It'll take a while to explain, so I'll tell you all when we get back to Kakariko. For now…" He pointed at the group of Gerudo. "Care to explain that to me?"

"There are a few of us left that chose not to side with Ganondorf," Nabooru said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Most of them are young mothers and children, all of whom have taken refuge in the Spirit Temple. These are the only capable warriors of them… our best warriors cling desperately to tradition and have sided with Ganon as he is technically our King."

"No wonder they did such a bad job…" Kage rolled his eyes.

"And yet you stand there tied up like a hostage," Darunia retorted.

"Not really," Kage responded casually, bringing his hands out in front of him. His ropes were no longer binding his wrists, but threaded around his fingers in some bizarre little cat's cradle. The guards were looking at him in disbelief. "Merely keeping up appearances, waiting for my chance to leave without being caught. You should know me better than that."

"Indeed I do." Darunia smirked slightly. "That's more like it."

"Where were you going?" Zelda asked softly, approaching Kage, who was busy coiling the rope before tossing it back at the guards.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but my business should remain my own." Kage held his hand up to stop her from getting any closer. "Besides, the lot of you seem to be planning something big, so you should probably focus on that. Don't you have a certain Hero to be helping out?"

That seemed to get a reaction.

"How would you know anything about that?!" Ruto demanded. Saria and Zelda both gave him desperate looks. Nabooru laid one hand on the hilt of her sword, but Darunia held his arm out to stop her.

"I said I will explain everything later," Darunia said casually, still staring at Kage, "For now, let's return to Kakariko before the sun rises. If Ganondorf catches wind of us…"

"…He'll probably take initiative and kill Link before we get the chance to do anything…" Zelda said softly.

"Tch…" Nabooru turned towards the guards, "You lot keep up the patrol. If anything happens, let me know immediately, but don't engage anyone unless it is absolutely necessary."

"Yes, ma'am!" The Gerudo Sage was saluted before the lot of them parted with the group. They moved quickly, and were gone in an instant. If they had to be credited for anything, it was their speed and silent movements. Even Kage was mildly impressed by that. Perhaps that was how he had gotten so quickly surrounded.

"Now… let's get back to Kakariko," Zelda said softly. She wanted to get back… perhaps Impa had finally returned from the Shadow Temple.

~'*`~

"Why are you following us?" Ruto asked bitterly, glaring at the silver eyed youth, who was walking with them, standing some ten feet away from the group.

"I'm not following you," Kage responded snidely.

"If you were headed to Kakariko, you could have just said so," Darunia shrugged slightly, making sure not to knock Saria down in doing so.

"I'm not going to Kakariko." Kage threw a glare in Darunia's direction. "I'm going through it."

"The Shadow Temple then?" That earned a frantic look from Zelda.

"Shut your mouth, Goron, it's none of your business, Sage or no Sage." Kage quickened his stride a bit, getting a few steps ahead of them, "Focus on your own job."

"How do you know so much about it anyway?" Ruto asked, "We haven't told anyone!"

"That's actually a good question…" Darunia remarked, "Since you came through the forest, I would assume you were heading straight from home… how _do _you know about this anyways?"

"Did you forget who I am?" Kage asked.

"That doesn't explain it."

"Alright, that's it." Nabooru stepped in front of Kage, halting his progress. "I'm tired of this. Tell us who you are RIGHT NOW. How do you know anything about all of this?"

"I have my ways," Kage tried to step around her.

"TELL ME!" Nabooru grabbed for the collar of his shirt again, only to have her hand close on empty air as he sidestepped.

"Leave it to the children of Suna to be just as stubborn and bratty as she is." Kage sneered. "Goodbye." He broke into a sprint almost immediately. Nabooru had a look of utmost rage on her face.

"GET BACK HERE!" the Gerudo sage bellowed before charging after him.

"…Should we follow them?" Saria asked, staring after the two as they ran off, Kage seeming to duck and sidestep around Nabooru every time she tried to make a grab for the raven-haired man.

"They won't get too far… the village is right over there, and knowing him, he'll be headed towards the graveyard," Darunia responded calmly, quickening his steps regardless, especially as Ruto went running off after the Sheikah and Gerudo duo.

"…Darunia…" Zelda's voice seemed meek and thin as she spoke, giving the Goron Sage a pitifully desperate look, "That man… Kage, as you called him… what purpose would he have going to the Shadow Temple…?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Princess… last I heard, he can't stand the place." Darunia scratched his head a bit, and Saria leaned back to get out of its way.

"…Is he… an ally?"

"I can only hope so."

Zelda only nodded mutely, turning her gaze back toward Kage as he danced around both Nabooru and Ruto as they came after him.

~'*`~

Sure enough, when they caught up to the three of them, they had gone to the graveyard. Kage was currently standing precariously on a fence with Nabooru and Ruto on either side of him, looking confident in the fact that they had trapped him. He didn't seem worried in the least, however, looking more annoyed than concerned.

"You're still going at it?" Darunia asked, "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Shut up, Daru, unless you're going to call off the homicidal surf and turf," Kage looked ready to throw him the one digit salute, but decided against, since he WAS in the presence of women… one of them being a permanent child.

"You insulted me and you insulted my goddess. You can't expect me to just let it go!" Nabooru cracked her knuckles angrily.

"Oh, I'll insult your goddess all I like. If you want me, I can insult the others too." Kage stood straight and started ticking them off one by one on his fingers. "Din's short-tempered and throws more tantrums than any child living or otherwise. Farore is naïve and Nayru is immature. Koboku is way too overprotective and won't even let his creations grow up for themselves. Suna's a bratty little man-hater. Jabun's a lazy bum who won't lift a finger, and Volvagia is just a brat who can't learn to just GROW UP."

Kage seemed ready to keep going, but Nabooru and Ruto both seemed to reach their limit and they lunged at him. Kage vaulted backwards immediately, using his hands to spring himself off the ground, twisting in midair and turning around to his back was too them. Nabooru and Ruto collided rather gracelessly, hitting each other head-on. Kage didn't stop even when he hit the ground, running towards the entrance of the temple. He used one of the headstones at the base to vault himself up, leaping to grab the fence atop the cliff. His hands caught the bars, and he wasted no time in pulling himself up and over, looking a little worn out the instant he was over the fence.

"Graceful," Darunia called to him, "And you forgot one!"

"Oh shut up, I just wasn't finished!" Kage turned around, clutching the fence with both hands as he leaned over, giving the Goron a rather dark look. "Seiryu is a failure as a god, doing absolutely NOTHING to defend the race he created with his OWN TWO HANDS. He is nothing but a coward and a child and is the worst of the lot. He deserves to rot in a hell of his own creation."

"Isn't it impolite to step on a person's grave marker?" Saria asked softly, staring at the headstone.

"You heard the little lady, Kage," Darunia called with a smirk, an almost chastising tone in his voice, "Since when do you show disrespect for the dead?"

"I'll apologize to Sharp myself later, Daru!" Kage thrust his arm out, pointing towards the village. "Now get out of here and do your damned job! And check on Yukie while you're at it, you rock bastard!"

With that Kage turned and vanished into the cave leading toward the temple entrance.

"What was that all about, anyway?" Saria asked curiously, tapping Darunia's head, "He seems to have a lot of hatred toward the gods… Especially… 'Seiryu,' whoever that is."

"He has a bit of a grudge towards them all… but for him, I guess that's to be expected." Darunia scratched his head again before setting Saria down. "You two help Nabooru and Ruto back, I have something to attend to back in town."

"Does it have to do with this 'Yukie' person?" Zelda asked curiously.

"Yeah… assuming it's who I'm thinking of." Darunia turned back towards the entrance and started heading back. "If the chance arises, I'll even introduce you."

With that, the Goron headed back into Kakariko, while Zelda and Saria went to help their fellow sages to tend to their aching heads.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Another day, another chapter. As always, the relationship between Darunia and Kage/Seiryu is bittersweet, but they still have fun. This scene was probably the first that popped into my head when I first decided to start working on the story again. It was certainly fun to write... I hope the rest of the story is as fun to write.

R&R. It'd be nice to hear your opinions. Enjoy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Seven**

How many days had she been here? She had long since lost count. How long would it be before her prayers would be answered?

Impa sighed softly to herself, pressing her palms against her forehead, raking her fingers through her hair. The normally calm and composed Shadow Sage was getting a little frustrated. She was trying so desperately to commune with the Sheikain God, only to have her prayers be met with silence. It was beyond upsetting. She had left Zelda on her own while she had come here in hopes that she could make contact quickly… but she was met with nothing but silence for the past few days.

Perhaps it was time to give up.

She grimaced at the thought. Giving up…? It wasn't an option. They needed the power of the Gods to seal Ganon this time… They had no choice otherwise. The Triforce of Power made him too strong… and with the Hero of Time in his custody, they had to do it themselves. She would probably need to teach Ruto, Zelda and Saria how to fight with what little time they had… At least Darunia and Nabooru were competent in that field… but the two princesses had never had to fight in their life. Saria was still a child, physically, but the girl was a bit of an enigma in her own way. She never really showed herself off in any way, so no assumptions about her skill or power could be made.

Impa sighed again, closing her eyes. These thoughts were distracting her from her purpose for being here… but then again, a few minutes of free thought weren't going to harm her chances of making contact. At least if he _had_ been listening, he'd have a few moments of peace from her constant praying.

She could hear the sound of footsteps echoing throughout the room, and immediately she was on her feet, one hand on the hilt of her dagger. She was too deep in the temple for random intruders to be found, and there were still far too many monsters and creatures roaming about, creations of shadow magic gone horribly awry. The footsteps sounded even enough to be human, but she didn't trust the magic of the temple. Anyone appearing this deep in the temple was bound to be a threat.

The intruder seemed to be a man, some six feet or more in height. He had pale skin and long ebon hair, and he was dressed in clothes of black and deep crimson. If she had to guess, he seemed to be Sheikah (as it is often said, it takes one to know one), but one thing about him threw her off. His eyes… his irises were silver. No human being could possess such an eyecolor.

He raised his hands calmly, trying to appear nonthreatening.

"Easy… I'm the one you were waiting for."

"Are you really?" Impa was a little hesitant. She wasn't even entirely sure he was real and not a conjuring of the temple's dark magic.

"I am, Impa." He lowered his hands. "I am Seiryu… I'm sorry it took so long for me to respond to your prayers."

"…It is the fact that you are here that matters most, Lord Seiryu…" Impa removed her hand from the blade's hilt, standing up straight. "I'm sure you are aware of Ganondorf's presence in Hyrule once again…"

"It is an unfortunate fact that we are all aware of," Seiryu's words were soft and his voice was calm. He had an apologetic look on his face, and that on its own confused the Shadow Sage. He almost looked pitiful, and it was tugging at the maternal part of her in a painful way.

"...All of the remaining Sages of Hyrule have come to an agreement… we believe that in order to seal Ganondorf away again, we will need the power of the Gods to keep the seal intact." Impa looked him straight in the eyes. "We need your help… we need your power to drive him back for good."

Her words were met with absolute silence for a moment, and she could tell from the look in his eyes that he was conflicted about something. A few moments passed in dead silence, and with each one that ticked by, Impa became increasingly unnerved by his lack of a response. Was he really not going to help…?

Finally, the Shadow God gave her a weak smile, but it still took a moment longer before he finally spoke. "Under normal circumstances, I would gladly assist. By Divine Law, it is only through granting our power to the Sages of Hyrule that the gods can even do anything to seal away any mortal, let alone the Evil King himself. However…" His smile faded. "This crisis has fallen during a grave time… many things have happened in the past few years, and my powers have waned severely." To prove his point, Seiryu extended his hand, conjuring a violet flame in his palm. The fire was weak, looking as though it could be blown out like a mere candle. "The power of Shadow is no longer mine to give… I cannot give you the power you need to seal him away." He closed his hand, and the flame dissipated with a soft hiss.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing… Seiryu… the God of Shadow… the guardian deity of the Sheikah… he was powerless? How was such a thing even possible? More importantly, how could they seal Ganondorf away if one of the Gods was unable or unwilling to grant his power?

She felt a sense of dread that chilled her to the bone… she could barely remain on her feet. What… were they going to do now…? What _could_ they do…? Was all hope lost already?

It was only when the Sheikain God spoke again did she snap out of her momentary panic.

"I will say now that even though my divine power can not be given, I plan to do everything within my power to send Ganondorf back to the realm of evil he was banished to." Seiryu crossed his arms over his chest. "All hope is not lost, and it will not be expected of the Sages to actually confront Ganon on the battlefield. Your importance to the people of Hyrule is too great to risk such a sacrifice."

"…Pardon me for being forward in saying so, but didn't you say that the Gods are bound by Divine Law and are unable to directly interfere," Impa asked hesitantly. This situation was too confusing, even for her.

"That is true, the Gods are bound by Divine Law and cannot interfere… however, the laws of the Divine Realm do not apply to one who has given up his Divinity." A resolute expression crossed Seiryu's face. "My powers faded when I gave up my Divine status as the God of Shadow. I am currently mortal just as you are."

"Why… how has such a thing come to pass…?" The pieces were slowly falling into place and questions were being answered, but the Shadow Sage still had questions that needed to be answered for her to comprehend the situation.

"Such a tale does not need repeating… to keep it concise, it was sacrificed to give aid to a number of people, including the young Hero of Time who is currently being held prisoner by Ganondorf." The Shadow God sighed softly. "The Evil King has brought pain and sorrow to all of the gods of Hyrule. Being the only one capable of actually doing something without retribution, you can bet that I will be there on the front lines to take him down. Not only to purge Hyrule of his evil influence, but to protect my kin as well."

"Kin?"

"I am not the only mortal deity existing within Hyrule. You may or may not meet the others, depending on how tangled this web of connections becomes." Seiryu gestured for her to follow. "Let's get out of this place. The magic of this temple has always been tainted, and the Shadows that dwell within dislike me as it is. News of my mortality will likely provoke an attack if we linger here."

He waited for her in silence before leading her from the room, keeping close to her for whatever reason. As they navigated the temple and its various obstacles—invisible platforms and fake walls, guillotines, pitfalls, and various monsters—it became even more apparent to her just how… mortal he seemed. Being a God, it would be suspected that he could pass through these things or fly over them without so much as a second thought. However, the former Shadow God seemed to be just as vulnerable to the traps of the temple as she was. Perhaps he had been telling the truth about being unable to grant her his power…

"…I take it this is why it took you so long to respond to my prayers?" Impa couldn't help but ask him as they slipped under the blades of the guillotines as they came to a long hallway full of them.

"Yes," came his response as he quickly darted under one of the falling blades, narrowly avoiding losing a foot. "Being a mortal, I have a dwelling of my own located somewhere within Hyrule. I could hear your prayers, but it took a few days of traveling on foot to reach the temple. Being caught by a ragtag group of rebels lead by the Spirit Sage certainly didn't help my progress, and I lost a day." He rolled his eyes at the memory.

"While I'm sure she had her reasons, Nabooru can be a bit hot-headed and too quick to act at times…"

"Oh trust me, she is quite fitting as the Sage of Suna. They are so much alike it isn't funny. Especially for me." There came a short grunt as he jumped to grab a ledge, pulling himself up before extending a hand to help her up. "I should probably apologize to her when next we meet… though I have a feeling the other Sages will be a little wary of me." He looked a little… guilty now.

"Dare I ask why?" Talking to him like this, it was so hard to see him as a God, and she found herself speaking to him as though he were any other person. He didn't seem to mind, at least. He almost seemed more comfortable talking like this, without having to uphold the appearance of being a higher being.

"I insulted her and Suna as she chose to pursue me on my way toward the graveyard. When we were actually there and she thought she had me cornered, I suppose I may have gone a little overboard in daring to insult my siblings one by one… from Din to Volvagia, and even myself." He smirked slightly. "Let it never be said that the Gods and Goddesses were ever the icons of maturity and perfection. We all have our flaws, and we clash on occasion as family members sometimes do." He averted his gaze, focusing on navigating the temple. "Have I lost your respect yet?"

"No."

"Then you have yet to see just how far from the image of perfection I naturally stray." He laughed dryly.

"The stories of Lord Seiryu speak of a god in the form of a child who would speak like an adult, but still act like a child from time to time, even playing with the village children on occasion. The Gods of Hyrule are well respected, but stories of the past do not all portray an image of utmost perfection. Being in mortal form, it would be expected for you to act as you truly are without the formalities of divinity," Impa spoke sagely, finally managing to regain her composure that she had so easily lost in her moments of panic from earlier. "I have seen it quite often in helping to raise Princess Zelda as her attendant. Whenever she is free of the formalities of her role as Hyrule's princess and queen, she can easily act just as any other woman her age does. I suppose it would not be too farfetched to say the same of the Gods, especially yourself."

He laughed again, much more heartily this time. "The wisdom of experience. That lifts a weight off my shoulders. It's hard to keep up appearances like that day after day, century after century. As long as I don't have to constantly pretend I'm some idealistic being, we should hopefully get along quite well. I can be mature… at times I just choose not to."

Now it was Impa's turn to laugh. A simple, short 'hah' uttered under her breath.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Seiryu simply grinned impishly at her before focusing on climbing up another ledge, clearing it fairly easily, though the fatigue was apparent on his face. However long it had been since he had rested fully, it was starting to show. As she watched him navigating through the temple's obstacles, even as they neared the entrance, she couldn't help but reflect on her earlier concerns. Could they really seal Ganondorf away without the power of _all_ of the Gods?

She watched him for a few moments, and soon he turned back to look at her. He stared blankly back at her for a moment before giving her a confident smile and turning his attention back to the path ahead of them. Something in his face… it just seemed to give her enough of an answer. It wasn't the ideal situation… but they would make do with what they had.

No matter what… they would send Ganondorf back to the hell from whence he came.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Something about this chapter has me a bit uneasy, so I may go back to tweak it later. I'm a little uneasy about Impa seeming a bit OoC, but it's meant to show how even the most stoic of characters can lose their cool in moments of panic, especially a person who is mentally exhausted by praying some several days straight.

I'm doing my best to keep a few chapters ahead while I work on these. The next college semester will be starting again soon, so I want to see how far in the story I can get before school starts and takes up all my time again.

And yes. Three years. A lot has happened, for better and for worse. I wrote another story a year ago, so my writing muse has not been completely dead. I'm mostly surprised I have the strength of will to finish this without my partner in crime and writing by my side anymore, but I'm doing the best I can with pure nostalgia-driven muse and adrenaline. I'm just glad to see at least one familiar name pop up after all these years.


	8. Chapter 8

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Eight**

Raven stood by his mother's side, holding her hand tightly the entire time as she and Uncle Daru got situated. The mighty Goron leader had stopped by unexpectedly, and Raven and Mable had been more than excited to see him. Their mother… well… she was looking a little worse for wear as of late. There was no life in her eyes, and she looked as though her spirit had been shattered like glass, broken into thousands of tiny fragments, beyond repair and only bringing pain to those that tried. Raven stayed by her side while Mable clung to Darunia's arm, giving him rather desperate looks as though begging him for help. Whenever he saw them, he could only pat her head sympathetically. It was a delicate situation… there was nothing that could be done to fix it quickly or easily.

Chairs were set out for the twins and their mother, and a blanket was set out so that the Goron Sage could take a more comfortable seat on the floor. As this was only a temporary dwelling, their furniture was subpar, and had a Zora's chance in Death Mountain of supporting the weight of a full-grown Goron. So his spot was on the floor, and Mable stood next to him uneasily, clinging to his arm while Raven stood by his mother, still holding her hand while she sat in a chair across from Darunia.

"So, Darunia, what brings you here?" Her voice was thin, and her words held even less life than her eyes did. "Aren't your people in need of your presence to help them keep strong during such dark times?"

"My son is acting as leader in my stead. They'll be fine." Darunia cracked a weak smile. "I'm here on behalf of your brother. He ordered me to stop by here and check on you three while he went to go do his job in the Shadow Temple."

"He's not the Shadow God anymore… what business would he have in such a place?" Her voice remained hollow and monotonous, and she almost seemed to be looking right through him.

"That would be the other reason why I'm here… by which I mean, why I'm in Kakariko." His smile faded and he leaned forward slightly, resting one fist against the ground. "All of the Sages are gathering in Kakariko. We have all communed with the Gods—your siblings—praying for their aid, for them to grant us all some fraction of their power to seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm once again, to keep him sealed for good."

"Why did the seal break?" Mable spoke up timidly, poking Darunia's shoulder a bit.

"We don't know…" He sighed, scratching his head. "We've all been racking our brains about that ever since the day he broke free, which is why we went to the temples in the first place, to hide ourselves and to keep the temples free of monsters before he had the chance to infect them again."

"…I know why…"

Raven looked up at his mother curiously as she spoke up, tugging lightly on her sleeve. She didn't react, instead staring past Darunia at the far wall behind him. The Goron Sage gave her a prompting look, waiting for her to elaborate. She held her silence for a few moments longer before closing her eyes, shaking her head weakly.

"…The last time we had to enter that place… when Seiryu was trapped there… I was the one who had to open the gate. You remember, don't you, Darunia?"

The Goron Sage nodded mutely, in spite of the fact that she was no longer looking at him.

"…My powers were already gone by that point… it was hard enough to open the gate and gain entrance… but sealing it… proved to be a task beyond my power. The seal was weak… and now he has broken free. It is all my fault."

Darunia shook his head. "Yu—"

"Yukie."

Darunia blinked, staring at her in mild confusion. "Kage mentioned that name… You changed your name? Why? It's not like Ganondorf knew your real name…"

"…I don't want to remember anymore… I don't want that part of me anymore… I want to be a new person… without those fears… without those pains…" Yukie opened her eyes again. "I am Yukie… that is who I am now. I'm trying to forget the past… to move on for the future."

"…I see…" Darunia sighed, shaking his head again. "Yukie, it still isn't your fault that Ganondorf broke free. Your seal was probably stronger than the one we placed because even though your power was waning, you still had the power of a Goddess at the time."

"It's not only that…" Yukie's grip on her son's hand tightened slightly. "The first time the Sacred Realm was opened… when _I_ had been trapped there… Ganondorf gained a small fragment of my own power. He probably didn't realize it at the time, which is probably why it took him five years to break the seal. But since he had _my_ power, he was easily able to break _my_ seal. His power is not only mixed with Din's, but my own as well, back when I was still at my peak as a Goddess." She hung her head, a pained look crossing her face as she pressed her free hand to her forehead. "He broke the Master Sword… he completely shattered it… that is why Link is in his hands even as we speak…!"

"Calm down!" Darunia said sternly, lightly tapping his fist against the ground to get her attention. "Getting worked up like this isn't going to solve anything, nor is blaming yourself for situations that were beyond our control. You had no control over Ganondorf getting some part of your power, and we had no other way to open the Sacred Realm at the time, as you had said yourself, none of the other Gods could do it without breaking Divine Law. This is just how things have come to pass, and we have no choice but to forge on ahead and work hard to get through this."

Yukie was silent, staring down at her lap blankly. She looked like a fragile porcelain doll, no life in her eyes and no spirit in her body. Raven stared up at his mother for a moment longer before looking over at Darunia sadly.

"…Will you be able to save Dad…?"

Darunia looked at a loss for words at that question, his brows furrowing as he scowled, trying to think of the right words to use. It was a moment before he responded, staring fixedly at Raven as he spoke, answering him directly. "All of the Sages and all of the Gods of Hyrule are doing everything within their power to save your father." He jabbed one finger against the ground. "Many years ago, it fell to your father alone to save all of Hyrule from an evil that not even the Gods were safe from. He fought hard to save people he didn't even know, people he had no obligation to help… and all of Hyrule is indebted to him for it. That is why, now that he is in trouble, we are doing everything we can to make sure we can get him back safely." He rose to his feet, clenching his fists. "We _will_ save your father. You can count on it."

His words seemed to ignite some spark of hope in both of the twins, especially since Mable jumped at him and clung to him in as big a hug as she could manage around his bulky frame. He actually had to catch her with one arm so she wouldn't fall. While Raven didn't react as eagerly as his sister, his face did brighten up considerably, and the Goron could see hope in his multi-colored eyes.

Yukie didn't seem quite as convinced, but Darunia could see a faint light come back to her eyes as she rose from her chair, walking away from the trio in absolute silence. Literally, the Goron could not hear her footsteps at all. She moved like a ghost.

The woman approached an old, worn armoire standing against the far wall. There was a loud groan as she pulled the doors wide open, revealing the armoire to be empty… save for a single bundle of cloth. It was tightly bound, and anyone could tell from the shape that it contained a sword within the thick fabric. Carefully, Yukie picked up the swaddled weapon, cradling it to her chest like a child as she turned to face the Goron Sage, approaching him once more with silent footsteps.

"This is the Master Sword… all of its fragments."

She held the sword out for Darunia to take. "Since the Sages are using the power of the Gods… perhaps my siblings can reforge it somehow. The Master Sword is the "Blade of Evil's Bane". It will need great power to make it whole again."

Darunia nodded resolutely as he took the sword from her, being careful not to unravel it. Yukie stared at him for a moment, offering him a weak smile which quickly faded. "…I'm… tired… I should rest soon…"

Darunia cocked one eyebrow curiously. "So early? But it is still morning…"

Mable wrapped her arms around Darunia's neck (as far around as she could manage, at least), burying her face in his shoulder. "Mom spends a lot of the day sleeping…"

Raven looked up at Darunia sadly, taking his mother's hand again. "Mom takes these weird pills to help her sleep…"

Darunia gave Yukie a weird look, but she simply stared back at him blankly. "I asked the witch on the other side of the village to make me some sleeping potion, something that would specifically keep me from dreaming." Yukie took a seat in her chair once more. "If only you knew the things I see… the things I _feel_…"

"…What do you mean?" Darunia asked hesitantly.

"I am eternally bound to Link… such a thing would seem to be a blessing, but with him in Ganon's hands... it means I can feel his pain." She placed one hand over her left eye, grimacing slightly. "There isn't much time left… he has gone through so much pain… so much fear… his life is nearing its end." Her hand fell into her lap. "To make things worse… because Ganondorf has part of my power… I am bound to him as well… I can feel his hatred… his anger… his burning lust for power… I see things that I have never wanted to see… and being bound to him only reinforces the fears of the past." She laughed weakly, her face void of expression or life. "So I sleep… trying to hold on to my sanity… just trying to get by until something can be done to overthrow the Evil King's reign of terror."

Darunia stared at her for a few moments in silence, trying to think of something to say, something… a word of comfort, maybe advice, or perhaps some encouragement… but nothing came to mind. He continued to rack his brains, searching for something to say… searching for something to break the silence, to ease the pain… but nothing came. He felt… pretty useless right now.

A tiny hand tugging at his own snapped him out of his reverie, and he glanced down to see Raven staring up at him.

"Don't worry about us, Uncle Daru," the little boy said with a smile, "We'll protect Mom. You need to meet with the other Sages and help Dad."

"Yeah!" Mable sat up straight immediately, grinning from ear to ear. "You guys can help save Dad, and uncle Kage and everyone can fix his sword!"

Darunia couldn't help but smile at their optimism, setting Mable down and patting her head lightly. "Alright then… I'm leaving it to you two to protect your mom." He patted Raven's head. "If anything happens, you come straight to me."

"Yes, sir!" Both of the twins spoke in eager unison. Out of the corner of his eye, Darunia could swear he saw Yukie crack a smile.

"Alright, then! Your job is to keep an eye out from here, but try to keep it secret from everyone else, or big bad Ganny will find us." He waggled his finger a bit. "If you see anything suspicious, come get me."

"Got it!" Mable said excitedly. Raven nodded resolutely. The look in the boy's eyes… Darunia remembered it well, when Link had agreed to clear out the Dodongo's Cavern. Raven was the same age his father had been at the time… heh. It was nostalgia and déjà vu all in one.

"Alright… I'll be on my way now." Darunia looked back over at Yukie. "If anything happens… you come straight to me. We're going to get through this, one way or another." He made his way back to the door, stopping briefly as his hand came to rest on the doorknob. "Take care, all three of you."

Yukie smiled weakly. "You as well… thank you, Daru."

Darunia gave her one last smile before taking his leave, shutting the door firmly behind him before making his way up the hill to Impa's house.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This is probably a chapter in which knowledge from Children of the Gods may be needed, but who knows... I'm just writing it out as it comes to mind. We'll see where it goes from here.

I do want to thank anyone that has been keeping an eye on my stuff for the three to four years I have been absent. Things have been difficult and my writing muse has been scarce. Hopefully that will change... I want to write more. I have plenty of Zelda stories in mind, though I must apologize to fans of canon characters, most of the stories I have in reserve are OC only because of the particular ones I have been working on. A few others may pop up, I don't know just yet. Just for now, the only stories I have in mind are pure OC characters in a preset setting (ie. Hyrule).

Life goes on and the world keeps turning. Ce qui sera sera. What will be, will be.

For now, I hope you enjoy.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Another torture scene. This one is not as gruesome as the first one, but still, for the squeamish and the faint of heart, skimming is advised.

* * *

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Nine**

He was in pain.

He was in so much pain.

Blinding, excruciating pain that radiated from the tips of his fingers all the way up his arms and into the back of his very skull, sending flashing lights straight to his blinded eyes.

He could feel the blood dripping from his fingers, from where his nails had formerly been connected to his hands. His hands were twitching, trembling uncontrollably. His entire body was shaking. He couldn't even lift his head up anymore. The only thing that held his body up was the pillory, in which his hands had been locked firmly before they started their cruel torture. His head hadn't been locked in, only his hands, and so his body sagged about as much as the damned device would allow him. His head hung limply from his shoulders, sweat dripping from his brow, tears cutting through the stale crust of dirt and sweat on his cheeks. He was in pain… _so_ much pain…

He had been moved again while he was unconscious. He was in another room it seemed… not that he could really see. He had been blindfolded before he'd been woken up… not that he was really able to tell at first. When he'd come to (or, rather, had been so rudely awakened by a kick to the stomach), he had been locked in place like this, his wrists firmly caught in the wooden grip of the pillory, his ankles shackled firmly together beneath him. His shackles were attached to something… attached by a chain. He didn't know what it was, but it was too heavy for him to move.

The instant they confirmed his consciousness, they forced something down his throat. Some sort of liquid. He recognized the taste vaguely… it was very reminiscent of a healing potion, but very watered down. He almost choked on it because of how forcefully it had been dumped down his throat, but after he managed to recover from the initial shock, he could feel it start to kick in. It didn't have the same effect as a regular potion. He could feel minor wounds healing… small bruises and scrapes and the like… but for the most part all it did was make the aching of his body fade. It made him feel… normal. Like he wasn't injured at all, like all the pains he had suffered within the past few months had never even happened.

And then… the instant he felt something lock onto his fingernail… all he knew was dread, such intense fear that he thought his heart might stop before they had the chance to begin.

If only fate had been so merciful…

And now, here he was… quivering in absolute anguish, barely able to make a sound with his worn out vocal chords. All of this in the first… however many minutes had passed since he had woken up. It felt like ages…. as though years had passed between each one… his body hurt so much… when would the pain finally end…?

And just his luck… they weren't done yet.

"Begin the next course of action."

That voice… the one that haunted his every thought… his memories… even his dreams. Neither consciousness nor unconsciousness could bring him solitude from that voice… It was a voice he had so deeply loathed in the past… Now, it only brought him fear.

His head was wrenched back by his hair and what felt like a damp cloth was crammed rather roughly into his mouth. Another was laid across his face, held firmly in place by a hand. It was too feminine to be _his_… it was probably one of his lackeys.

Damned bastard… leaving women to do his dirty work…

His thoughts were interrupted sharply by a stream of water poured over his face. It was ice cold, and it felt like every single pore on his body clamped shut violently to shut out the frigid, knife-like water. That wasn't the worst of it, either. As the water ran over his face, even with the feeling of fabric over his face, he felt like he had been thrust violently underwater. He couldn't breathe, he felt like he was drowning, like water was rushing into every orifice and blocking off his airways. He flailed violently, another desperate attempt to free himself from the icy waterfall that threatened to suffocate him. The grip on his hair twisted and tightened, locking him firmly in place to choke under the icy blades of water.

It didn't last long… at least, not to the people dumping the water on him. To him… as with every passing moment of their torture, so many hours, so many _years_ seemed to drag by… Almost as if the Goddess of Time herself had decided to turn against him, to freeze time so that his torment would go on endlessly…

'…_No… no thinking like that…_' He gagged and choked violently as a second waterfall was dumped on his head. '_…this has nothing to do with her… with any of them…_' He struggled violently again, only to be put down by what felt like someone's foot slamming against his hand, bending it back and crushing it against the pillory. The pain in his fingers was awoken tenfold as he felt flecks of dirt getting into the wounds. It made him stop immediately.

'_This is all because of his cruelty… this has nothing to do… with anyone… but him._'

At least two more buckets of icy water was dumped over his head, soaking his body thoroughly from the waist up. He was starting to lose count easily from the lightheadedness that came along with the feeling of drowning. The feeling of water running across his bare skin was very much akin to tiny blades being drawn across his flesh. He was very familiar with _that_ sensation… that had been their little game back when he had first been brought here. It was as though with every passing day, it only served to get worse and worse… He didn't know how much longer it would be before they killed him in the midst of one of their little torture sessions.

When it was finally over, the first cloth was pulled away from his face and the second was pulled roughly from his mouth, allowing him to gasp for breath, to regain his mental stability… what little there was to be had anyway. He was shivering from the cold, wanting so desperately for nothing more than to wrap his arms around himself, to try to warm himself up. What was the point of getting him soaked anyway…?

As if on cue, the voice spoke again.

"Hit him."

There was a loud crack, followed by searing pain along his spine. He recognized the sound… it was the sound of a whip. He'd certainly been hit with it enough times in the past… but why did it hurt so much _now_?

"Feel that, boy? I'm sure you've noticed how much more it hurts now."

'_Fucking bastard… Get out of my head._'

"The chill of the water causes the blood vessels to constrict and causes the skin and muscles to tense up and tighten. This makes it easier for the whip to pierce the flesh and inflicts more pain with each strike."

'_Thanks for the biology lesson… you fucking freak… bastard…_'

"I'm going to ask you again. Where is she?"

That voice… every time he heard it, he was filled from head to toe with fear. It made his blood run cold, made every part of his body cringe and tense up. Just hearing that voice was a living nightmare.

He was silent. He wasn't going to talk. Even if he was, he didn't have an answer to give them. He had been locked up here the whole time… hell if he knew where she even was anymore…

But, of course, his silence was taken as defiance. It always was… even in the rare instances where it wasn't. His silence was countered with another brutal crack of the whip. He gritted his teeth painfully, taking sharp, hissing breaths in a weak attempt to bear the pain. He could get through this… he had to… It wasn't as bad as having his nails ripped out at least… right…?

He held his silence. He wasn't going to break… he couldn't now… not after so long…

Another crack of the whip… followed by another. Whoever it was that held the whip… they knew what they were doing. Sick as it was to think of it that way. It wasn't the strength behind it that made the thought cross his mind… but the way they spaced out each strike. It was always long enough that the new pain didn't dull and blend in with the old… but not so long that the old pain was forgotten. To make it worse, they did it without any sort of rhythm or pattern… between each strike, he actually found himself counting the seconds in between… it was making his head hurt. It was like his brain was trying to find a pattern in it. And being unable to was driving him insane.

Damned be the mind of a musician…

His mind was too busy counting the seconds to keep track of the lashes. Again and again, the whip snapped and cracked, and more and more wounds were left on his back. It burned worse than coal, it felt like his flesh was being ripped off with a serrated knife. The pain was intense. It sent bright lights shooting off in the back of his eyes with each strike. The combination of the pain, the counting, the lights… his head was aching from the combination.

His body was trembling uncontrollably at this point… his body was succumbing to gravity once again. His body hurt too much to hold its own… he just wanted it to end… he wanted it to _stop_…

No… it would never end… Ganondorf was far too patient to let it end so quickly. The man managed to wait seven long years before managing to capture Zelda during his first reign… he could probably wait just as long now… and knowing him… he would keep him _alive_… keep him _aware_... every… last… minute…

He wanted it to just end already…

"……"

He opened his mouth to speak, but no noise came out. He tried again and again to speak, but no words came… not a single noise came from his throat. For that brief moment, the hits actually stopped coming. It was like they were waiting for him to speak… waiting for him to give them what they wanted. He wanted to talk… if for no other reason than to curse them, to fill them with hatred, to get them to lash out at him, to finally kill him… anything was better than years of this torment.

"Last chance, boy… where is she? SPEAK!"

He cringed noticeably, feeling a new chill entirely clawing at him from inside… the grip of fear. He grimaced, grinding his teeth as he tried to muster up the strength in his throat to speak, to make a sound… _anything_. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his throat to work. He could feel his body trembling… could feel his throat closing up. Why couldn't he _speak_?!

"…Resume."

The instant the word was spoken, something deep inside him seemed to snap. The instant that word was spoken, he could hear the movement behind him, and he could all but envision it, the whip being raised, drawn back… He couldn't take it anymore. He wanted the pain to stop. He couldn't wanted it to end, he wanted it to all just go away. Right as he heard the crack of the whip, before it could tear into his flesh, he finally found the strength he needed to summon up his voice, tearing the words from his throat with such volume that he could almost swear they echoed throughout the entire castle.

"_**I DON'T KNOW!!!**_"

* * *

**Author's Note:** This chapter was fun to write, and I actually did some research into various forms of torture. The first part I got inspiration from a lovely scene in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (one of my favorite anime/manga/games), but that's the only thing I actually used from it. Everything else I looked up. Also, for people who are unaware, a pillory is what is often confused with a torture device known as the stocks. The pillory is made to force the person locked in to stand hunched over with their head and hands locked in the wooden frame. The stocks are low on the ground, and are used to lock in the feet.

Anyways... it seems to cut off sharply... well, that's because the chapter actually ran considerably longer than my chapters do on average. However, because I had so much excess material in the chapter, and it was twice as long as the chapters I tend to upload, I chose to cut it in two, to draw the story out more, and to give me some more room to work with.

So... enjoy.


	10. Chapter 10

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Ten**

'_I don't know!!!_'

No sooner did those words pass his lips did he get struck… a particularly painful blow, leaving a gash across his back from his shoulder to his hip, as though punishing him for speaking out, for allowing himself to be broken like this. He had wanted to curse them, to speak to them with words of hatred and spite… anything to fight back, to keep himself from backing down. Why… why had he said that…?

There was silence… no movement at all, no sound in the room save for his own ragged breathing, trying to ignore the stinging pain across the entirety of his back. The silence was deafening… for a second he couldn't help but wonder if something in his ears had ruptured, and he actually had lost his hearing. It wasn't until he heard the sound of footsteps… the heavy sound of metal-clad boots against the cold, stone floor… _his _footsteps… that he was proven otherwise.

As those footsteps drew closer, that chill shot up his spine yet again. Absolute terror… he wanted them to go away… he didn't want him to come any closer.

'_Go away… go away… please… please go away…_'

His silent pleas were as always ignored, and he felt _his_ thick fingers in his hair, twisting and wrenching his head back painfully. It was taking every last bit of willpower he still had to keep silent. His fear was likely written on his face… he didn't have the strength to hide it anymore.

"What did you just say?"

He could feel the grip on his hair tighten, and he grimaced, fighting back the urge to whimper.

He just… wanted it to _stop_…

"ANSWER ME!"

The grip was so painfully tight now… and the stench of his breath was suffocating. He had to say something… had to say it now, or the pain would only continue. The icy grip of fear had latched its claws into the deepest part of his stomach, winding its way upward through his chest to dig in painfully and close his throat tight.

"I… d…don't… know…"

Several minutes passed by in agonizing silence. His neck was starting to hurt from the sharp angle he was being held at. He couldn't tell if his answer had any effect, or if it had only proven to anger the Evil King even further. With each moment that passed, the chill of fear coursed through his veins, and he felt again that his heart might stop if it didn't burst in his chest first. He didn't know what was going on anymore… and he felt like it was going to drive him insane.

Finally, his hair was released, and he was dropped rather heavily. The fall caused his shoulders to hurt… it felt like his arms were on the verge of dislocating after that.

"Treat his wounds."

In spite of the chill that voice sent down his spine, those words left him feeling confused beyond belief. It must have shown on his face, as that eerie laugh filled his ears, causing him to cringe. He winced slightly as he felt the wounds on his fingers and his back being cleaned. What was going on now? Why were they doing this?

And again, as if on cue, _he_ spoke again, giving the broken Hero of Time the answers he seemed so desperate for.

"In all of six months, you've finally given me an answer, boy. You're finally starting to give in. I can't let you die now… especially from something so trivial as an infection."

Another chill ran down his spine… would it never end…?

He was bandaged up almost expertly, and his hands were freed from the pillory, only to be shackled together the instant they were released. He could hear the sound of a heavy chain being moved, and he could feel a hook briefly scrape against his hand before hearing the sound of metal against metal… was the hook being attached to the shackles somehow?

He could hear the sound of a wheel being turned, of the chain being wound through a pulley. His arms were soon forced above his head, and slowly he was lifted up off the ground, suspended in midair. The massive weight attached to his feet made his body feel stretched… he felt as though his arms and legs would be ripped out from their sockets.

"You're going to be left like that for a few hours… and we'll see if it'll convince you to talk."

That laugh again… sending chills through his entire body, causing his heart to stop and his blood to freeze in his veins. How he wished it would just get out of his head… he wanted to be left alone…

It wasn't fair… what had he done to deserve this pain…? Why couldn't they just let him _die_ already?!

As he heard the door slam shut, he let his head fall, tears streaming down his cheek yet again. He was in so much pain… even though they had bandaged his wounds, they hurt so much… He just wanted the pain to go away.

He just wanted to die.

~'*`~

He was able to hear the noise from down the hall, from his own cell. He was surprised to hear it, actually… he was one of only two prisoners kept in this level of the dungeon. Sure, he'd heard the screaming on a regular basis, but this was the first time it was so, _close_. It was a little disturbing, to put it mildly. Were they going to be next?

Ravick watched with a vague sense of interest, waiting for the noise to stop. Whoever it was in there had been screaming pretty loudly in the beginning… screaming bloody murder for some reason, but the mage wasn't able to tell for sure what it was they were doing to him. He couldn't tell how long it lasted, but it wasn't any longer than an hour or so… if it took that long at all. But whenever they finished, all he could hear was silence. He would have thought it was over, were it not for the fact that nobody left the room. The silence persisted for several minutes. Ravick found himself slumping against the wall in boredom, idly wondering if the person had died or something. The thought was quickly cast aside when he heard the first crack of the whip, listening semi-intently. He could hear the whipping… but no screaming whatsoever. Had they gagged him or something?

"…I wish they'd do that elsewhere…"

Ravick couldn't help but laugh, leaning back against the wall he shared with the neighboring cell. "It's alright, shorty, they have no business with us. It's been a few days since they fed us, I'm pretty sure they've forgotten about us by now."

"…He never forgets… he never forgives…"

"Easy, short stuff… don't freak out on me here, or they WILL remember we're here if they hear you." Ravick knocked lightly on the wall behind him. "That's what we're relying on, remember? Just a little longer and we'll be able to get out of here… so just hang tight, okay?"

"…" There was only the sound of soft movement… likely his neighbor curling up into a ball inside his own cloak. Poor kid… Ravick could sympathize with his anxiety.

There was a loud shout, startling him out of his thoughts. He could hear the poor kid in the cell next to him scramble to the back corner of his cell against the same wall. Poor guy was so skittish… Ravick turned his attention back to the room down the hall, watching intently, waiting for the damned thing to open. He wanted to know who was in there… he needed to know if he was being kept down there with them… needed to know if it would hinder their chances for an escape. They had waited so long… they were so close to getting what they needed… they couldn't let it be screwed up now.

As the door finally opened, Ravick ducked back into the shadows of his dank, filthy little cell. Couldn't risk being seen now… he was all but certain they had forgotten them by this point. He waited silently, completely motionless, waiting to see just who came out of that dark, torturous room, to see who it was that was being tortured so painfully that they could hear him screaming at such volume from within a completely sealed room.

The instant someone _did_ step out, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped in complete and utter shock. For it was none other than the King of Evil himself that set foot outside of the room first, sending a brief shudder of fear coursing through the entirety of his body. Oh, it was such a good thing that Shorty was on the other side of this wall… if he'd laid his eyes on the Big Bad himself, their presence would be known immediately. Poor kid was traumatized enough as it was… they couldn't risk being remembered just to be tortured like the poor bastard in that room.

Ravick all but held his breath as he watched Ganondorf walk away, his blood red cape billowing out behind him as he walked. He was followed by a number of guards, the last of which actually padlocked the door they'd come from before leaving… but whoever it was they had been torturing, he wasn't with them. Was he still inside?

Ravick waited until a few minutes after they had gone—having to actually forcefully remind himself to breathe—before he knocked on the wall again. "Hey shorty… they left him in there…"

"…Really…? Why? Is he dead…?"

"There's one way to find out… maybe this guy can help us out…" Ravick smirked, pressing his cheek against the wall as though attempting to pass through it. "What do you say?"

"…Do it… just don't get caught."

"You got it!" Ravick turned his attention to his own feet, grinning as he pointed to the ground. "Hey, Shadow! Get up!" A small bolt of lightning shot from his finger, striking the ground. The instant it touched, there was a yelp as a dark mass came shooting out of the ground, taking the shape of a man… the shape of Ravick himself.

The Shadow rubbed his posterior, glowering at the mage. "What was that for?!"

"Shh, not so loud, you moron!" Ravick hissed, pressing his finger to his lips. "If they catch us, our chance of escape is gone, now SHUSH!" Ravick narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming gravely serious. "Down the hall, there's a padlocked door with someone trapped inside. I need you to see who it is… see if there's any way we can use him to escape this place."

"Alright… but be a little gentler next time when you call me." The Shadow grumped, still massaging his stinging rump. "I'm going. I'll be back in a few." The Shadow turned its back to him, gliding silently towards the wall, hesitating briefly to take a deep breath before passing straight through.

Ravick sighed, leaning back against the wall for a moment before tapping it lightly. "And now… the waiting game." He was met with only silence for a moment, with only a soft tapping to break it to let him know that Shorty was still listening to him.

~'*`~

"Hey… you… wake up!"

Link was jolted out of a state of semi-consciousness by a sudden voice, one he didn't recognize at all. His head snapped up, but he immediately regretted the movement as pain shot through his arms and shoulders. He groaned, letting his head hang again, trying to catch his breath while he waited for the pain to die down. It felt like his entire body was being stretched beyond its limitations.

"Sorry about that…" The voice sounded distinctly male… did Ganondorf actually have any guys working for him? If he did… this was the first he had… heard… in… what was it Ganondorf had said… six months…?

"…who… are you…?" His voice was hoarse… his throat hurt so much that he could only just barely speak.

"I have no name, really… I would be what is known as a Shadow." He could hear a smirk in the guy's voice… could his words really be trusted?

"…prove it…" Link mumbled hoarsely.

"Alright then…" He could feel a hand pressed against his stomach. It felt… oddly cool against his flesh. "You feel this, right?" Link was hesitant before nodding his head. "Now…" The hand started to pass _through_ him, filling his body with an unnatural chill. "Do you feel _that_?"

Link could only nod mutely, his entire body tensing up from the unnatural feeling. When the Shadow's hand was finally withdrawn, he let out a heavy sigh, his body finally relaxing as the warmth started to return to his body.

"You believe me now?"

Link nodded weakly.

"Good."

"…why… are you… here…?" He needed to know… was there any way this guy was a friend, an ally of some sort…?

"There are two other people being held captive on this level of the dungeon… they have seemingly been forgotten, since I am the one who has to forage food for them. They plan on using that to their advantage to escape… but we need to know if there is any way you can assist us."

Link's heart skipped a few beats. Escape…?

'…_no… don't get your hopes up…_'

"…I may have an idea… but… I have a condition… for helping.." Link coughed harshly. Talking irritated his throat, and the loss of blood was making him feel pretty dizzy. "…but it will… involve… doing something… you may dislike…"

"…I'll discuss it with them first… Now, tell me. What is this condition?"

"…Find Seiryu…" He coughed again. "Tell him… to keep her safe… keep her… out of Ganon's hands…" His head was getting so light… he didn't know how much longer he could stay conscious. His body hurt so much… he was being torn in half. His ears were ringing… he couldn't hear anything anymore.

He could hear talking, but he couldn't understand the words. This… was this a good thing? Maybe he was finally dying… but… what about the others…? The other prisoners…

He had to stay awake… a few minutes longer.

"My plan… listen… and tell no one… but the others being kept here… If you tell anyone else… then there's a great chance for failure… understood…?"

He could just barely hear a noise of assent. He took a deep breath, trying to clear away some of the red fog clouding his eyes.

"My plan… I need you… to…"

He lifted his head, gritting his teeth to ignore the pain.

"…I need you to kill me…"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And here's part two. A bit of psychology at work here... proof that even the best of us can break under the right circumstances. Even the most stoic hero can break his silence eventually... and given Link's been through six months of this (give or take a few), it's not surprising he's finally broken his own metaphorical silence on the subject. Granted, it's not the answer Ganondorf _wants_, but the King of Evil is pretty satisfied with the fact that he's making progress.

I like to put in at least a little psychology in everything I do... I think it's fun. It's like how little kids will break their toys apart to see how they work... I break my characters to see how their minds react.

On another subject entirely, here we have the introduction of Ravick. To those that may or may not know, Children of the Gods was actually written to retell many of the events of an old roleplay site I ran. That's how a lot of characters ended up paired up and chaos ensued for well over a year with only three to four players, one of them being the esteemed ThuhJesheekuh (formerly known as Selphie Louise), who was my partner in crime at the time. She has uploaded three stories that were written during those days (Tying the Knot, Making It Happen, and More Than Friends), and one of them (Tying the Knot) actually has clips from the old rps, whereas CotG only has a few, such as the infamous Chateau Romani incident. Others are done as improv to get the story to flow, covering important subjects from the rps, and just getting the characters out there so TJ/Selphie and I could write other stories about them without confusing people (as much).

Where I'm going with this: Ravick was the 'fourth' player, who was not on as often as the rest of us, but he still played a role in the lives of the characters. However, because of his absences, I wasn't able to figure out a way to introduce him until now. To poke fun at myself, the whole part about him and his currently anonymous partner being 'forgotten' is a bit of a play on the fact that his character, while being a semi-factor in their lives on the rp site, seemed to have been 'forgotten' in this world, and was never introduced until this point. The chaos that was once Ravick will ensue in due time, but for now, here he is. Things are hopefully starting to look up for our poor hero... in some twisted way, I suppose.

Final plug before I wrap this up:

Go read ThuhJesheekuh's work. She's an awesome writer with a great variety of stories to read, including her epic tale "The Legend of Zelda: Tome of Lineage".

'Til next time.


	11. Chapter 11

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Eleven**

"We should go in after him! Who knows what that bastard could be up to in there?!"

Nabooru slammed her hands down on the table, the depths of her eyes burning with utmost fury. They had barely been in the house fifteen minutes before she had gone on a tirade, going on about this and that, saying that they should charge into the Shadow Temple to go after 'Kage'. Ruto seemed to agree to some extent, still nursing her aching head from before.

"Nabooru, we've been over this already," Zelda said calmly, gesturing for the Gerudo Sage to keep her voice down. It was still early in the morning. People could hear them, and the last thing they needed was for Ganondorf to catch wind of their operation. "We can't just go into the Shadow Temple on a whim… it's a dangerous place, even Impa doesn't dare to go in there unless it is absolutely necessary."

"You say that after we allow some complete stranger to enter the temple anyway! The guy isn't even human! You saw that for yourself!" Nabooru gestured angrily. "He might be one of Ganondorf's minions! If that's the case, then we _have_ to go after him before he gets to Impa!"

"…If I may speak, please."

Nabooru and Zelda both turned their heads, focusing their attention on Saria, who had finished changing her clothes and her hair, trying to pass as a regular Hylian girl. Granted, it was a little difficult with the forest-green hair, but with a little work, she'd managed to brush her hair out straight, making her almost unrecognizable at first glance.

"I think you're forgetting, Nabooru…" Saria said calmly, placing her hands on her hips, "Darunia already said that Kage was a good guy. Darunia _is_ one of us, and tends to have fairly good judgment in character. Anyone he says is a good person truly is… which is fairly obvious in his choices of 'brothers'." She smiled gently. "The only non-Gorons that Darunia has treated like a part of the family are Link, and the late King Hyrule. It's fairly obvious that he holds Kage in similar regard through some prior experience. So we can at least take comfort in the fact that Kage is really a good person, even if he acts like a bit of a kid. He is a boy, after all." Saria giggled a bit when she said that.

Nabooru gritted her teeth, at a loss for words for a moment.

"Even if he has issues with the Gods and Goddesses, we cannot condemn him for speaking his mind." Saria waggled her finger as though chastising a disobedient child. "It is easy for people to lose faith in times of darkness and fear. In fact, many of the Kokiri and Gorons do not even know who their guardian deities _are_… but the Gods still forgive them and care about them."

"That is _entirely _different!" Nabooru stomped her foot before crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine! I won't go after him! But so help me, if I see his face again, my fist will be the first to greet it!"

"Alright." Saria giggled again.

There was a heavy knock on the door. "That must be Darunia…" Zelda said softly, rising from her seat to let the Goron in. Indeed, the Fire Sage was the one standing in the doorway. She could see an oddly-shaped bundle in his hand, and she couldn't help but stare at it briefly before stepping aside to let him in.

"Well… things have gotten a little more difficult for us, unfortunately…" he said somberly as he made his way inside.

"What do you mean?" Nabooru asked, "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Darunia responded. "However, I will explain it when Impa gets here."

"Might as well start explaining then, Daru…"

The sudden voice of 'Kage' caused pretty much everyone to turn towards the doorway. Sure enough, the Sheikah was standing just inside the doorway, staring back at them. Nabooru was the first to act, however, practically throwing herself at him, one fist drawn back. "YOU--!!!!"

"That's quite enough."

Nabooru's wrist was caught, stopping her punch before it came within an inch of Kage's face. The Gerudo Sage growled in the back of her throat in frustration, glaring daggers at Impa, who had interceded and managed to halt her attack. "Dammit…! Why did you stop me?!"

"You know… she has a bit of a point. You didn't need to do that, Impa…" Kage gave the Shadow Sage a mildly confused look. "There is no obligation between us."

"Obligation?" Ruto echoed.

"Impa… you know him?" Zelda asked.

"I'd be surprised if she _didn't_," Darunia muttered.

Nabooru wrenched her hand back, stomping her foot again. "That _does _it! I want some fucking answers!" She pointed at Kage. "You have been nothing but a nuisance since you showed up, and people are defending you for no given reason and I am _sick_ of it!" Nabooru clenched her fists tightly to the point that her knuckles turned ashen. "TELL US WHO YOU ARE!"

Her words seemed to echo through the entire house, and were met with only silence. All eyes were on the Gerudo Sage, whose own eyes rested on Kage. He simply stared at her for a moment, before sighing and scratching his head. "Alright then…" He lightly placed one hand on Impa's shoulder as he stepped around her, bringing himself into full view, crossing his arms over his chest. "My name is Seiryu."

"_Seiryu?_" Nabooru echoed skeptically. She recognized that name from earlier. Was this some kind of sick joke.

"Yes. Seiryu." He smirked slightly. "I am the God of Shadows… and we will be working together to oust Ganondorf and rescue your beloved Hero of Time."

The looks that were given to him were priceless. Zelda looked shocked, Ruto looked mortified, and Nabooru… well… he couldn't read her expression. She just gave him this blank look, as if she had trouble believing him. He didn't blame her… he was half expecting her to try to punch him in the face again.

Saria tapped Darunia's arm lightly, looking up at him. "Is this true?"

"Hard as it is to believe, yes. It's true. I've known him for some five years now… give or take a few months." Darunia chuckled softly to himself.

"Then the 'grudge' you mentioned earlier…"

"Sibling rivalry." Darunia nodded. "With a bit of self-loathing thrown into the mix."

"Can we change subjects now?" Seiryu asked, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, "There are more important things at hand right now… Like that… thing you're carrying. Just… please tell me it's not what I think it is…"

"I wish that were the case, but fate is not kind to any of us right now." Darunia carefully set it down on the table, untying and unwrapping it with surprising delicacy that could hardly be expected of the Goron Sage. When the cloth was completely unfolded and revealed its contents, there was a collective cry of shock and horror from everyone in the room.

"NO!" Zelda all but shrieked, clasping both her hands over her mouth.

Laying there on the table was none other than the master sword, completely shattered, though thankfully all its pieces were in place, giving the faint illusion of it possibly being whole.

"How could this happen?!" Ruto asked, standing up abruptly.

"I don't know…" Darunia responded, "All I know is that Ganondorf did this… and this is why he has Link now."

Nabooru sat down heavily in her chair, staring blankly at the remains of the Master Sword. "There isn't a blacksmith alive that could repair this…"

"What _can_ we do about it?" Impa asked, "That sword is probably the only thing that can strike Ganondorf down as he is now."

Seiryu was silent, staring fixedly at the broken sword. He approached the table slowly, reaching out almost hesitantly to take hold of the handle, picking it up and examining it, running his hand along what part of the blade was still attached. He frowned thoughtfully, holding his silence for another moment before breaking it. "I think we can repair it…"

"We?" Saria echoed, staring up at the shadow god curiously.

"My siblings and I." Seiryu rested his free hand on his hip, still staring at the handle of the sword. "The Master Sword is a divine relic, like the Ocarina of Time and the Triforce. It may be beyond the skill to reforge it by mortal means… but I'm fairly certain we can repair it."

"'Fairly certain'?" Nabooru asked skeptically.

"It's better than nothing, and it's the best we've got at this moment." He nudged one leg of her chair with his foot. "It's been done before, the last time it was broken. The only problem was it wasn't so _badly_ broken the last time."

"When was it broken the first time?" Darunia asked.

"You don't remember? That was back when we met." Seiryu smirked slightly at the memory. "I was the one that broke it. Din and the others fixed it… among other things."

"…Oh." Darunia scratched his head. Bad subject.

"Nuh uh, no secrets." Nabooru started to stand up, but Seiryu only placed his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to sit back down.

"Fine, no secrets." He tightened his grip slightly. "But let's just say your little Hero has cheated death at least twice now… and it was divine intervention that brought him back." His face was completely void of expression as he withdrew his hand, turning attention back to the blade. "The first time was by my hand." He could hear the clatter of Ruto's chair as she stood up abruptly, but she was perhaps the only one who had moved, or even that had made a sound. "Surprisingly, your friend is quite forgiving."

"…History repeated itself." Impa's voice was oddly sympathetic. Seiryu only laughed mirthlessly.

"Old wounds that will never heal. For now, let us focus on the task at hand."

His attention was caught by a tug on his sleeve, and he saw Saria standing next to him, a seemingly sympathetic look in her eyes. It was… heartbreaking to see for some reason. "How can the sword be fixed?" she spoke firmly, trying to get everyone's focus back on the subject of the broken relic. Everyone seemed to agree with her, and even Ruto took her seat again. Seiryu had to give the Kokiri girl credit… she certainly knew how to get people to listen.

A wise girl… a proper sage. Koboku had chosen wisely and raised her right.

"The last time it was broken, it was infused with the power of another relic." Seiryu turned his gaze back to the hilt, staring at it for a moment longer before setting it back down carefully. "If we do the same thing again, but with all of us, we should be able to reforge the blade."

"Using what relic?" Ruto asked, "The Ocarina of Time doesn't seem like it would be powerful enough, and the Triforce is scattered, and two pieces are currently in Ganon's castle."

"There are others," Seiryu said with a soft sigh, running his fingers through his hair, "Did you forget already? You used to own one." He tapped his chest lightly with two fingers. "Din, Farore and Nayru were not the only ones to leave a fraction of their power after Hyrule was created. We all did. The Triforce was the most powerful of them all, but was unable to exist within the mortal realm on its own. The pieces the rest of us left behind could exist in this world, but didn't grant much power, instead acting as keys to the door, allowing a righteous owner to seek out the Triforce."

"Keys to the door…" Zelda echoed softly, "The Spiritual Stones?"

"Exactly." Seiryu nodded.

"Wait… aren't there only three stones?" Darunia asked, "There's more of you than that."

"Because the rest of us never allowed ours into mortal hands. I never passed mine on due to… unfortunate circumstances…" Seiryu cringed inwardly. "Suna, however, chose to guard hers personally." He tapped the gem sitting on Nabooru's forehead, ignoring her angry swipe. "Did you think these were only for show?"

"Did you know that?" Ruto asked Nabooru curiously.

"Well… we tend to wear these in tribute to our Goddess…" Nabooru mused over it for a moment. "Legend has been passed down that she made us in her image, so we try to follow what images we have of her as our way of respect. I don't know if anybody really knows for sure the truth behind these images…"

"Well, now you know," Seiryu said with a slight smirk, "She hides the Spiritual Stone of the desert… known informally as the Gerudo's Garnet… in plain sight. Nobody would expect it to be a piece from her own jewelry." He took a step away from Nabooru. "Suna is quite vain…" He dodged the incoming punch from the Gerudo Sage. "But she has her pride as a warrior that comes before her vanity. Excess jewelry only weighs a warrior down. Hence why the only jewelry Gerudo will adorn themselves with is simple and form-fitting, so that they cannot be hindered by trivial matters in the midst of battle."

"So the five Spiritual Stones can be used to repair the Master Sword?" Impa asked.

"Well, technically, there should be six." Seiryu ticked them off on his fingers as he listed them. "The Kokiri's Emerald, the Goron's Ruby, the Zora's Sapphire, the Sheikah's Amethyst, the Gerudo's Garnet… there's one missing."

"The Hylians," Zelda stated softly.

"Exactly. Six races… six sages… six stones." Seiryu crossed his arms over his chest. "Just as the Sheikah are the race of Shadow, the Hylians are considered the race of Light. But just as there is unfortunately no Sage of Light currently amongst us, there is neither a Goddess of Light. At least, there won't be for another century or so, if she chooses to take up the position. However, she was not around when Hyrule was created, so whether or not she has actually created the Spiritual Stone of Light is unknown even to me."

"And that's why you're only 'fairly certain' that the sword can be repaired?" Ruto asked uneasily.

"Actually," came a voice, cutting Seiryu off before he could respond, "It's likely because he has no power anymore." A dark mass rose out of the ground, right in front of Seiryu, taking the form of a person as it grinned quite insanely.

"Greetings… from Ganon's castle."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And once again, Seiryu manages to piss someone off. I wonder how many years it'll take Nabooru to start to open up and gradually allow a love-hate relationship rather than just pure hate. Like what happened with Daru.

Side note: I got a comment about this from a good friend of mine, but I like playing Saria as the kind of character who is wise beyond her years, and definitely beyond her appearance. The Kokiri may be children and may never grow up physically, but that doesn't mean their minds can't grow. Furthermore, Saria has obviously spent time around adults, so her vocabulary as well as her wisdom has grown beyond the appearance of her childlike form. Therefore, I can easily see Saria as being one of the wisest of the lot, in spite of being so young in appearance.

The Spiritual Stones for the Sheikah and Gerudo have been things I've been toying with for years. I was always planning on using them for this story, but I couldn't remember _HOW_ I was going to use them. I did a lot of research on different gemstones, trying to find the right ones. In the past, the Sheikah stone was always amethyst (a popular choice amongst the violet gems, since this one is the most well-known), while the Gerudo stone used to be topaz (another popular choice). I was talking to a good friend, known as UndyingNephalim (famed for his Zelda mangas on DeviantArt as well as his games Time's Menagerie and Fallen Sage), who told me about his own choice in changing from topaz to amber since amber has a more orange color while topaz is a yellow-orange color. So I did some more research and found that garnets come in colors such as yellow and orange, even though the most famous color is red. And so the Gerudo's Topaz became the Gerudo's Garnet.


	12. Chapter 12

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Twelve**

"Ow… that fucking hurt…"

"Hopefully that will teach you to USE YOUR DAMNED HEAD before you say stupid things like that!"

No sooner had the Shadow's words of 'greeting' left his mouth did Seiryu's fist connect with his face, sending him flying into a wall. Or, rather, through it, seeing as the Shadow managed to make himself intangible in time.

"You didn't have to hit me so hard…" the Shadow sulked.

"What did I just say?!" Seiryu snarled, "Did you really expect otherwise saying something stupid like 'Greetings from Ganon's Castle' in a place like this?!"

"Before this escalates any further, can you explain what the hell just happened?" Darunia asked. More than half of the Sages looked like they had been on the verge of a heart attack the instant the Shadow had shown up. Zelda had all but collapsed, had Impa not caught her, and Saria was hiding behind Darunia, staring at the Shadow uneasily. Ruto was out of her chair again, and was now several steps back away from Seiryu. Nabooru was on her feet as well, and had her swords drawn, looking ready to cut both the Shadow and Seiryu in two.

"This little idiot would be a Shadow." Seiryu crossed his arms over his chest again, sneering at the Shadow. "He's basically a copy of a living being that normally resides in the Shadow Temple and just causes trouble for people for the hell of it."

"Actually, I _did_ come from Ganon's Castle," the Shadow said, still sulking and rubbing his nose. "And I have something for you."

"_What?!_" Nabooru asked incredulously.

"Will you just shut up and calm down?!" Seiryu snapped at her before turning his attention to the Shadow, "And you, explain the whole situation first! You're making it sound like you're working for Ganon."

"Oh please, none of us would serve him," the Shadow looked horrified, "Those that do are taken by force and are 'obligated' to bend to his will."

"That's why you explain yourself first to clear the air and keep yourself from seeming suspicious." Seiryu closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, grinding his teeth almost painfully.

"You know, you're not exactly innocent in that regard either, Kage…" Darunia said with a slight smirk.

"You shut up."

"Fine, fine," the Shadow rolled his eyes, sitting cross-legged in midair above the table, "I came here from the dungeons in Ganon's Castle… where my 'master' is being kept with some other guy. However, they've been forgotten about, so they're pretty much sitting in prison relying on me to feed them and keep them alive for the time being." He crossed his arms, 'sitting' slightly hunched over. "I came here on behalf of one of the other prisoners. Pale guy, long blonde hair… seemed pretty important since the Big Bad himself paid him a visit."

"The 'Big Bad'?" Seiryu echoed in confusion, "Ganondorf?"

"Bingo. Do you know the guy?" The Shadow leaned back slightly. "The blonde guy, I mean."

"It must have been--"

"—Link!" The name was exclaimed by Zelda, Ruto, Saria and Nabooru simultaneously.

"I guess that would be him. Now before I get assaulted with questions, no, he's not okay." The Shadow grimaced. "I'm not going into detail either, but just know that he's in a bad position, but he's hangin' in there."

"And you didn't help him?" Seiryu asked.

"Hey, I offered, but he kept saying no. Kept saying things like 'if Ganondorf finds out there's other people in here, they will suffer for it', and things like that. Trying to put on a brave face and all that." The Shadow pointed at Seiryu. "He told me to give you something. A message."

"A message?" Zelda spoke up taking a step toward the Shadow, who glanced at her once, causing her to stop before she got any closer.

"Yeah, lady… a message."

"…Alright then… what's the message?" Seiryu stared hard at the Shadow.

"Aight." The Shadow cleared his throat. "The message is, and I quote, 'Keep her safe… Keep her out of Ganon's hands.'" The Shadow shrugged. "I tried asking who 'she' is, but he couldn't answer me. He could barely keep his head up, let alone keep conscious. But considering you have a whole room of 'she's, this probably makes your job a lot easier… or a lot harder."

The females in the room exchanged confused glances. Seiryu, however, had a very solemn look on his face, as did Darunia.

"Kage…"

"I know, Daru." Seiryu stared at the floor, chewing on his thumbnail uneasily.

"There _was_ something else," the Shadow stated, "Something else I have to give to you."

"And what's that?" Seiryu asked, lifting his head again.

"This."

The Shadow approached the former Sheikain deity, reaching out and taking a firm hole of his wrist. Before Seiryu had a chance to respond, however, the Shadow clasped his other hand over Seiryu's withdrawing it quickly as soon as the 'item' was placed in Seiryu's hand. The Shadow God looked down at his hand in surprise, staring at the item resting in his palm. A simple golden trinket, in the shape of a triangle.

"…The Triforce of Courage…?"

"_WHAT?!_" That was a collective reaction from everyone else in the room.

"If that's what it is," the Shadow shrugged, "He just insisted that I give it to you in the event that the Big Bad goes overboard one day. He said that he doesn't want it falling into Ganon's hands, so he told me to give it to you to hold on to until he's able to see the light of day again."

"That's not exactly comforting… but alright." Seiryu closed his hand over the golden relic. "Is there anything else?"

"Nope, that's it." The Shadow folded his hands behind his head. "Unless you have anything important to contribute… which I doubt… I'll be on my way."

"Impudent as always, the lot of you," Seiryu snarled, crossing his arms over his chest again.

"Whatever. You just focus on fixing your precious little sword… if you can, _Lord Seiryu_." The Shadow smirked before flipping backwards in midair, diving into the ground and vanishing entirely. A very confused silence hung in the air for a few moments. It was almost as though everyone in the room happened to be holding their breath, all but expecting the Shadow to jump out at them again.

"…Can you explain what that was all about?" Nabooru asked, sheathing her swords before sitting down heavily in the chair.

"Hell if I even know what that was about. All I know is that we're running out of time." Seiryu clenched his fists uneasily. "Ganondorf doesn't want Link… he's after someone else. But we don't know who, other than the fact that this mystery person is female." The Shadow deity sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, resting the other on his hip. "That aside… we need to focus on fixing the sword… somehow."

"That… Shadow… certainly seemed rather skeptical about it," Nabooru said bitterly, staring at the broken blade.

"That reminds me," Ruto looked at Seiryu again, "What did he mean by you not having power anymore?"

"_That_ would be the main reason I'm only 'fairly certain' that the sword can be repaired." Seiryu sighed again. "Most of my powers are gone along with my divinity. I stepped down five years ago… I can't return to my position for at least another ninety-five."

"Why would you do something like that?" Nabooru asked, giving him a rather incredulous look.

"It's a long story that does not need repeating." Seiryu sneered. "Allow me some secrets. You're allowed to have yours… such as your age."

He dodged another one of her punches, smirking slightly to himself. Darunia actually had to hold Nabooru back to keep her from lunging at the Shadow God.

"If your powers are gone, then how can the sword be fixed?" Zelda asked.

"My powers are not completely gone. I have about as much as an average mortal sorcerer." Seiryu shrugged his shoulders weakly. "The issue is finding someone to channel my power for me, capable of amplifying it to the point that we need."

"Can't Impa do that?" Saria asked, "She is the Sage of Shadow… and aren't the Sages supposed to be mediums for the Gods in some sense?"

"Normally yes… but unfortunately Impa is not a mage. She can use the power of Shadow as most Sheikah can, but not to the extent that is necessary to amplify the power needed to fuse the Spiritual Stone with the Master Sword." Seiryu gave Impa an apologetic look.

"So we need to find a sorcerer capable of wielding the power of Shadow," Impa suggested.

"Yes… but this is where it gets technical." Seiryu sighed yet again, resting his hands on his hips. "The sorcerer has to be of Sheikain blood. The Spiritual Stones will only shine in the hands of someone of the designated race. The only exception is when it is in the hands of those chosen by the Golden Goddesses to wield the safeguard… otherwise known as the Triforce." Seiryu pointed at Zelda to further emphasize his point.

"Safeguard?" Nabooru echoed skeptically.

"Why do you have to keep picking the subject that deviates from the topic at hand?" Seiryu asked, massaging his left temple in frustration.

"You keep bringing up things that make no sense," Nabooru snapped back, "God or not, the rest of us don't know what you're talking about when you say these things."

"_Fine_," Seiryu sighed, "The Triforce was made to be a safeguard… a precaution in case something were to happen that would threaten Hyrule and its people." Seiryu extended one hand, conjuring a black flame. "In any land, there is always going to be strife, but in a land where magic is plentiful and useable by the populace, the threat becomes considerably higher. So the Triforce was created so that if someone worthy of wielding it laid their hand on it, it would grant their desires, leading to an age of prosperity for the people." He closed his hand, extinguishing the flame. "However, the Triforce has a safeguard of its own… which is revealed in the secret legend of the Triforce passed down by the Royal Family of Hyrule." Seiryu laid his eyes on Zelda. "Would you care to share, Princess?"

"…" Zelda was briefly hesitant when all eyes rested on her. "…If a person with a just heart lays his hand on the Triforce, it will grant his wishes and lead to a golden age of prosperity for the people of Hyrule." She laid her right hand upon her breast, over her heart. "But if a person with a wicked heart lays his hand upon the Triforce… it will separate… and each piece will hide itself in the hand of those chosen by destiny, while the single piece resonating with the heart of he who laid his hand upon it will remain."

"Exactly." Seiryu pointed at Zelda again. "Din, Farore, and Nayru each picked out a person that would receive each fragment of the Triforce should that legend come to pass. Nayru chose the Royal Family, wanting to ensure that Hyrule's rulers would be just and wise. This is why throughout most of history, Hyrule has lived in peace, and every ruler has been regarded highly." He opened his hand, conjuring up the Triforce of Courage, ignoring the uneasy stares it earned him. "Farore, however, chooses each recipient by hand. The Hero who bears her relic is always a youth who is raised in isolation away from the corruption of the world. In this case, a Hylian boy raised amongst the Kokiri, who are more or less protected from the outside world by their overprotective deity." Once again, he closed his hand, and the Triforce of Courage disappeared. Again, he ignored the nervous looks.

"…What about the Triforce of Power?" Ruto asked.

"…That is a good point," Impa mused thoughtfully, "If either of the other Triforce pieces had remained in Ganondorf's hand, where would the Triforce of Power had gone to."

Seiryu went silent for a while, staring back at them uneasily. He rubbed the back of his neck, staring up at the ceiling for a brief instant. Should he really tell them…? They wouldn't like what they heard… But they had asked… he may as well tell them anyway.

"It wouldn't have gone anywhere. You may or may not believe me when I say this, but regardless, it is the truth." Seiryu turned his attention back to the group. "The Triforce of Power is already in the hands of the person chosen by Din. Ganondorf _is_ the predestined recipient of the Triforce of Power."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Another chapter that rambled a bit too long and had to be cut in half. I think this means I'm probably going to try extending chapter lengths sometime in the near future.

In other news... things are looking dire for Link. And even worse for Hyrule. But are they looking good for Ganny? The scales are teetering back and forth as we speak.


	13. Chapter 13

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Thirteen**

"What?! How?!" Nabooru rose out of her chair.

"When the Triforce was created, Suna approached Din about who the Triforce of Power should go to. The Gerudo live in a harsh environment, and no matter what other calamity struck Hyrule, the Gerudo would live in a state of constant suffering." Seiryu stared fixedly at Nabooru. "By Suna's request, the Triforce of Power was to be given to the King of the Gerudo, who was destined to bring prosperity to their race and lead them in difficult times." He crossed his arms again. "Every Gerudo King has fulfilled that destiny. Ganondorf is no different."

"That evil bastard?!" Nabooru clenched her fists. "_HOW?!_"

"…How many of you were actually around during the Great War?" Seiryu raised one eyebrow curiously. "The war that divided all the races of Hyrule."

"I was." Impa frowned at the memory. "Many of the Sheikah were wiped out during that war."

"I remember that…" Darunia stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I was fairly young when it happened. I still remember when it ended."

"Well, Ganondorf was born during the war. He grew up seeing his people suffer, and between that and the war itself, it warped his mind, and that's how he became what we know of him now." Seiryu looked back at Nabooru. "His methods were not exactly moral, but what he did, he did for the Gerudo, and that is why they follow him, even now. Not because he is the King, but because everything he has done has been for their benefit."

Seiryu sat down heavily in a chair, leaning back slightly. "Not everything works out for the benefit of all involved, and often there are times when someone suffers for the benefit of another. That's life. Clinging to fairytale beliefs that everything will work out will lead to a painful crash and burn when reality decides to step in. I think our current position is enough of an example of that. The Hero of Time is being held captive, two of the gods needed for the sealing process are powerless to help, and the Master Sword is in shards. Tell me, what do you think our chances for succeeding in sealing Ganondorf without casualties _really _are?"

His question is met with silence as the Sages gave each other uneasy looks. Even Nabooru's look of skeptical hatred had been replaced by one of anxiety and guilt.

"…Life is not fair, but we keep moving forward. _All_ of us." Seiryu turned his gaze back to the sword. "Our biggest obstacle at the moment for fixing the Master Sword is finding someone capable of channeling my power."

"What about the Stone of Light?" Darunia asked. "Her power as it is happens to be weaker than yours."

"Oh, we have someone who can channel her power," Seiryu stated calmly. "Our fair Princess happens to be quite the sorceress herself, and she happens to be Hylian. She can channel the Goddess's power easily."

"Who is this 'Goddess of Light', anyway?" Ruto asked. "I've never heard of her."

"Nor have I," Zelda admitted uneasily.

"To be fair, only Din, Farore and Nayru are actually known throughout Hyrule. The rest of us our only known by those that still believe in us, and the numbers have dwindled quite a bit as the centuries have passed. Koboku is only known as the 'Great Deku Tree'… or the 'Great Deku Tree sprout' as he is now… Jabun is known to the Zora as the whale Jabu-Jabu… and Volvagia is remembered as the Goron-eating monster dragon bearing the same name." Seiryu scratched his head. "The Goddess of Light is only known to those who were actually around when she first appeared in Hyrule… and that would be limited to three people, excluding the Gods." Seiryu jabbed his thumb in Darunia's direction. "That would be how we met."

Darunia tried to ignore the stares that now rested on him.

"So who is she?" Saria asked curiously.

"Her name is Yugi." Seiryu turned his attention to the Kokiri Sage. "Or… as she prefers to be called now… Yukie."

"Yukie?" Saria frowned thoughtfully. "Isn't that the person you mentioned earlier, the one you told Darunia to check on?"

"That's right." Seiryu nodded. "I would assume that's where he came from since he got here just shortly before Impa and I did."

"…Wait a minute…" Ruto frowned thoughtfully. "If Darunia went to visit this… Yukie… before he came here… then does that mean he got the Master Sword from her?" She stared at Darunia in confusion.

"Why would she have such a thing?" Impa asked.

Seiryu and Darunia exchanged uneasy glances at that, and both seemed rather hesitant to respond to it. Zelda, however, looked briefly like she had been shocked by a bolt of lightning as something seemed to come to her.

"Ah… so that's why…"

All eyes turned to the Hylian Princess, who simply stared at the window, at the house at the bottom of the hill. "I haven't met her personally… but I do know who you are talking about." She looked to Nabooru and Ruto. "We've seen her before."

Both women seemed confused, having to think for a moment.

"…Wait… you don't mean…" Nabooru frowned.

"The woman living in the old Skulltula house?" Ruto asked.

Zelda nodded. "I managed to speak with her children… They were outside the other day, playing on a pair of ocarinas. What caught my attention was the fact that they were playing the Royal Family's song… the song which only members of the Royal Family are taught, or those that are connected to the family in some way." There were looks of surprise that were immediately thrown her way, though Seiryu was looking like he was trying desperately not to laugh, while Darunia simply crossed his arms and nodded sagely, a look of pride crossing his face.

"How could they even know that song?" Ruto asked.

"I asked them the same thing," Zelda responded with a smile, "Knowing the song of the Royal Family… and even the Song of Time… isn't it obvious where they would have to learn it from?"

"You don't mean--?!" Nabooru asked incredulously.

Zelda nodded. "They learned it from their father."

"_FATHER?!_" Ruto looked a little like she had been slapped across the face. Impa seemed to be musing thoughtfully over the revelation, while Saria simply offered a small smile at the thought.

"I guess the secret is out," Seiryu laughed softly, brushing his hair back out of his face.

"It wasn't really secret in the first place," Darunia muttered, which only made Seiryu laugh harder.

"You _knew_ about this?" Ruto asked, staring at Darunia.

"Look, Princess, you yourself told him that you were setting aside your feelings for the sake of doing your job." Seiryu crossed one leg over the other, using the one foot to balance himself as he leaned his chair back. "He's allowed a life outside of the role that fate has handed him… as are all of you. Sages or not, you're not expected to be on call every second of the day… Hell, Darunia has a son of his own. We're not so heartless as to deny him his role as a father."

"So Link has a family now?" Saria asked curiously.

"But how is that even _possible_?" Ruto asked, looking from person to person. "Those kids _had_ to be ten years old or so! Link should be… what… twenty-three by now? It doesn't add up!"

"Actually, he's twenty-nine," Darunia stopped briefly to do the math.

"How is that possible?" Saria asked, "I met him while he was still a baby… he should only be twenty-three."

Seiryu rested his elbow against the back of the chair, resting his chin in his hand. "Ever hear of the _fissi en khronos_?"

"…Time portals?" Zelda frowned slightly.

"Good job." Seiryu smirked slightly. "Your little hero friend took a little trip through one of those… ended up in the neighboring kingdom of Ikana for five years. The only reason he was able to return here was through the guidance of Verthandi… the Goddess of Time, who reigns over all matters of time in both the realms of Hyrule and Termina."

"…" Ruto sat down heavily in her chair. Seiryu couldn't blame her… she was probably beside herself with a plethora of feelings both positive and negative. "I'm glad you find this so amusing," she muttered bitterly.

"I'm glad you find it so heartbreaking," he retorted coldly, "That's about the only reason the gods are allowed to step in at this point. We're allowed to defend our kin from our own creations. Any other instance, and Divine Law would pretty much leave you all to rot and leave us to watch as everything we poured our hearts into creating destroys itself because there was one person smart enough to cheat the system." He had a hint of disgust in his voice when he said the words 'Divine Law', as though the words were truly venomous to his own tongue.

"Still bitter, huh?" Darunia asked.

"Shut up." Seiryu drummed his fingers against his thigh, ready to make a further remark… but a sudden pressure on the top of his head stopped him from speaking. He heard a soft laugh above him, and he groaned, rolling his eyes. "Off, Koboku…"

"I am afraid I am unable to acquiesce to your request, but it shall be taken into consideration for future incidents."

He could tell from the look of surprise on everyones' faces that the appearance of the Forest God had been a sudden one. At least, everyone except Saria and Darunia. Darunia had five years of experience with this sort of thing after all, since Din, Farore and Nayru had a bad habit of stopping by unexpectedly whenever Raven and Mable were around… but at least they made sure to do it out of the visual range of mortals. Saria… she just looked excited.

"Grea— ah." She spoke on reflex, clasping one hand over her mouth to stop herself. Her cheeks had a slight hint of color to them now. If it had to be guessed, she was likely more embarrassed about nearly calling Koboku 'Great Deku Tree'. Old habits die hard… harder than the god's tree form had at least.

Koboku chuckled softly at that, putting a little more of his weight against his arms, which were resting firmly against the top of Seiryu's head. "I guess it _is_ a little awkward calling me 'Great Deku Tree' at this point…"

"Would you be… perhaps… Lord Koboku?" Zelda asked softly.

"That would be correct, though 'Lord' seems a bit much to me… but then again, it is considered polite to refer to one by title, so you can refer to me as you'd like, Queen Zelda."

"Titles are overrated," Seiryu muttered, trying to ignore the pressure of Koboku's weight against his head.

"Shush, Seiryu, the adults are talking right now."

That got a bit of a laugh out of everyone. Some of them laughed softly to themselves (these few being Ruto, Saria, and Zelda). Nabooru and Darunia laughed outright, and Impa was trying to keep a straight face, even though Seiryu was well aware that she had laughed. Allowing them their moment of mirth, Seiryu rolled his eyes, lightly shoving Koboku off of him. "You've had your fun, now tell me why you're here. I'm guessing from your attitude that it's not a life-or-death crisis."

"Actually, I just thought I'd stop by to inform you about something that I feel you're obligated to know," Koboku said with a shrug. "I was called upon for a little escort mission to get a certain someone from the forest to here."

"…You brought her here?"

"Yes. She's currently with Yukie, since I thought it would be best to wait until your little meeting here was over." Koboku gave a slight wave of his hand, a mild flourish that radiated with a green light, leading to his palm being upturned in an almost delicate pose. The instant his palm was upturned, the green light swirled in his palm, physically manifesting in the form of a shining stone.

The Kokiri's Emerald.

"Speaking of which, I believe you're going to need this."

He extended his hand to Saria, offering the stone to the small Sage. She seemed a little hesitant at first, but reached out to take it from him, staring down at it for a moment before turning her gaze back to the Forest God. "Won't Ganondorf be able to sense the stone?"

"The stones themselves have no power, as Seiryu here mentioned earlier." He mussed up the former Shadow God's hair a bit.

"Nice to know you were paying attention," Seiryu muttered, batting Koboku's hand away so that he could fix his hair.

"Ganondorf won't be able to sense the stones, but he _will_ sense the power put into fixing the blade. When that happens, he will most likely be drawn to this place, which means that the instant the blade is fixed, everyone will need to vacate the area quickly." Koboku had that serious tone in his voice… You just don't mess around when he uses that tone of voice.

"Believe it or not, I already have a plan to counter that, but we'll get to that when it comes," Seiryu said calmly as he rose out of his chair, making his way toward the door, "Get back to the forest, Koboku… your 'children' are probably scared and lonely." He ignored Koboku's glare at that response. "I'm being serious… Ganon's not going to be merciful on any of us… we need to keep our attention where it is needed most."

"I know that, and that's why Farore is there in my place for now." Koboku turned his attention back to the Sages. "Take care of yourselves… I'll be seeing you all again later." With that, he vanished. If there was any sign that he had even been there in the first place, it was a few withered leaves laying scattered on the floor, which Saria happened to stare at rather fixedly.

"…" Seiryu laid his hand on the doorknob, only to hear Nabooru clear her throat loudly.

"And where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Yukie. After all, if she's going to be involved in this, she may as well at least be informed of it."

"And what are we supposed to do, just sit around here doing nothing?"

"I don't care what you choose to do, just don't get killed doing it." Seiryu turned his head to glance at her over his shoulder. "Do whatever you think is _useful._ For now, all that _can_ be done is wait. There's no way to rescue Link with what resources we have, and there's no way to fix the Master Sword at this point in time." Seiryu turned to face her fully, crossing his arms over his chest. "How about this: go home."

"_What?_" Nabooru asked, sneering.

"Think about it. You said yourself that your best warriors have sided with Ganon. Where does that leave your people? They need protection, and in spite of what they may be hoping, Suna isn't able to give it to them. So they need someone to defend them and to teach them how to defend themselves. Why do you think you were chosen as the Sage in the first place? You're supposed to be someone your people look to for guidance."

Nabooru was silent on the subject, but he could see from how she clenched her fist that he was hitting a little close to home.

Seiryu sighed, trying to soften up at least a little bit. "How about this: Darunia, Ruto, and Nabooru, you three go home and take care of your people. They need hope in dark times like these, and you three are the ones that are best for the task. Volvagia, Jabun and Suna can contact you when the time arises when you are actually needed. Saria should probably go with Darunia to further ensure the safety of the Emerald. Koboku's and Farore's magic can keep Ganon's forces at bay. Impa and Zelda, you two stay here since Zelda's powers will be needed to help reconstruct the Master Sword." He turned his back to them again, opening the door. "As I said, I don't care what you do, just don't get killed doing it."

With that, the Shadow God left, shutting the door silently behind himself. Nabooru stared at the door for a few minutes before turning to look at Impa.

"Impa… your God is an _ASS_."

"…" Impa just stared back at her while Darunia roared with laughter.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Nabooru's last line makes me giggle for some reason. No idea why.

My apologies to anyone that thinks this is OC-heavy, at least in that Seiryu has way too many lines. This story _is_ after all, part of a trilogy I was planning focusing on Link's family as well as Seiryu's. It was my way of prolonging something I once held dear at the time. Now it's more for the sake of finishing it as well as treasuring the memory (not that I remember most of what I originally had planned for this story as well as the sequel). But that's why the OCs are featured so heavily and may seem mary-sue-ish in that regard.

As for Seiryu having too many lines... he _is_ a god, and the Sages, being mortals, are likely uneasy about saying the wrong things to offend their creators, especially since they need their help. And since Seiryu is the only one able to interfere directly, he's the one with all the information they need, so he's telling them everything so he won't have to deal with questions later at worse times. As for the sages having less lines... I tried to space it around as best as I could, trying to work around Nabooru's temper and Darunia already knowing some of the gods and their habits. However, I tend to suck at scenes with more than... 3-4 characters. These scenes have been working with seven.

Though to clear the air, though it may seem like a cop-out, that's not why Seiryu told the Sages to go home. There is a reason for that, which will be established later.

Enjoy.


	14. Chapter 14

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Fourteen**

"I'm sorry for arriving so suddenly, Yukie…" Shiori spoke firmly, like always, making her sound almost unapologetic. Yukie knew Shiori better than that… she was a kind, gentle woman. She was certainly managing to prove it in her work with the bandages.

"No… It's quite alright, Shiori. You are always welcome in my home at any time… even if this isn't my real home, it still counts." Yukie was trying hard to keep her hands still. Her fingers stung quite a bit from the medicine… at least the bandages were doing well enough to protect the wounds, numbing the pain to some degree.

"That's comforting to know… but can you please explain to me why you were cutting your fingers like that?" As Shiori finished with the bandages, she took Yukie's hands firmly in her own. "You scared the life out of me… Try to imagine how your children must have felt seeing that."

Yukie looked down, staring at her two children, who were clinging to her quite desperately, both looking on the verge of tears. Even Shiori's son Aki was looking at her with an expression of fear and worry, though his arms were currently occupied, holding his infant brother so that Shiori could do her work.

"…I'm sorry…" Yukie closed her eyes, hanging her head. "I just… couldn't take the pain anymore… so I had to distract my mind with another pain… something different… not as mentally scarring."

"What pain was so bad that you chose to start cutting all of your fingers?" Shiori asked, raising one eyebrow.

"_His_ pain." Yukie started wringing her hands. "His nails…"

"…I see…" Shiori sighed, gripping Yukie's shoulders. "You need to find other coping methods, Yukie… this is resorting to self-destruction. Since he is gone, your children are relying on you to be stable and strong. You are their _mother_. Without you, they would be defenseless, alone, _scared_."

Yukie could feel both Raven and Mable nodding their heads frantically as they buried their faces against her side.

"I'm sorry…" she mumbled weakly, almost seeming to stare through Shiori rather than at her. "I'm so sorry…"

"Stop that!" Shiori shook her slightly. "What you're doing now is shameful to yourself and to him! Think about _why_ he's suffering…!"

"That's enough Shiori…"

Both Shiori and Yukie turned when they heard Seiryu's voice, staring at him for a moment as he stood in the doorway. The Shadow God pulled the door shut behind himself before approaching the two woman slowly, looking more than a little worried. He approached Shiori first, who rose from her chair to embrace him firmly, clinging to him almost desperately, as though afraid to let go. Seiryu was a bit taken aback by her fierce grip, patting her back a bit awkwardly before returning the embrace. It wasn't like the normally cold, forward, rational Shiori to be so… clingy. If her presence in Kakariko hadn't worried him enough already, her sudden need for closeness certainly did.

It was a few moments before she let go, forcing herself to sit down, carefully taking Shale from Aki's arms, focusing her attention to the sleeping infant. Trying to hide the fact that she had allowed emotion to take over her rational mind, if Seiryu had to guess. He didn't say anything about it, though, turning his attention to Yukie and extending his hand to her.

"It's been a while."

"…It has…" Yukie took his hand meekly, allowing him to help her to her feet, making sure not to cause Raven and Mable to trip while doing so. The twins let go of their mother, Mable instead wiping her eyes to brush her tears away. Aki approached his cousin meekly, offering her a hug, which she took gladly, sinking to her knees as she wrapped her arms tightly around him. Even if he was shorter than her, he was still older by many, many centuries. He knew how to be an older brother… it just sucked to some extent that everyone was going to be way taller than he was for most, if not all of their lives.

When Yukie was on her feet, Seiryu kept a hold on her hand, staring into her emotionless face. It was painful… seeing his once lively and confident sister reduced to… this. The woman who could probably be considered some sort of super-mother, practically radiating the light that she as a Goddess reigned over… Seiryu had seen dolls with more life in their eyes than hers. The once seemingly infallible Yugi… had become the meek and broken Yukie.

…He couldn't stand to see her like this.

Now it was his turn to be clingy.

He wrapped his arms around his sister, placing one hand against the back of her head as he rested it against his shoulder. She didn't resist in the slightest, allowing her body to be manipulated easily, a marionette on strings being pulled around and posed to the puppeteer's fancy. The former Shadow deity held his sister close, stroking her hair gently… trying to soothe the pains that she seemed so obdurate not to express.

She just let herself be held… resting against him idly. He was almost afraid that if he ever let go or moved, she would just fall and break.

Seiryu felt a slight tug on the edge of his tunic, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Raven standing there, looking up at him. "Uncle Kage… you're gonna help Dad out, right? He's gonna come back… right?"

"That's right, Raven…" He managed to crack a smile, albeit a weak one. "Not just me, but all of your aunts and uncles are working hard to help him out, along with some of your dad's old friends." He could feel a light grip on the back of his shirt. It was Yukie's hand… apparently something had struck a chord deep down inside her. "We're all going to help him out… starting by fixing his sword."

"You can fix it?!" Raven's grip on the edge of his tunic tightened. Mable was on her feet in an instant, clinging to her mom's dress as she stared up at him. Aki was a bit dazed by the sudden absence, but he drifted quietly over to his father's side, clinging to him on the side opposite Raven.

"Indeed we can." Seiryu's smile became a bit more confident. "Uncle Koboku has already heard the plan, and he's going to spread the word to everyone else. We're definitely going to fix your dad's sword… and your dad is definitely going to be coming back alive."

The grip on the back of his shirt tightened fiercely, and he could feel a warm dampness growing against his shoulder. His grin softened considerably, and he resumed stroking his sister's hair, feeling her entire body trembling against his own as she tried to fight back the tears.

"…It's alright, Yukie…" he said softly, "Let it out. You're allowed to cry…"

He could hear a strangled whimper come from Yukie's throat, feeling her head shift against his shoulder as she nodded. He just continued to hold her as she clung to him tightly and cried. When was the last time he had seen her cry…? How many months ago? Six months… back when Link had first disappeared. He still remembered so vividly…

Link had brought Yukie and the twins to his house in the forest. He had been desperate, practically begging for him to hide them somewhere, _anywhere_… while he went off to confront Ganon. He didn't allow for any protest, and had all but demanded that nobody follow, that Yukie and the children should be relocated and hidden and no word about their location be revealed to anyone. And with that, he just left. And so Seiryu, with the help of his brothers and sisters, managed to escort them here, to Kakariko, and the others placed an enchantment over the house to dispel evil. The same enchantment placed on the Master Sword itself.

Six long months… in the beginning she had broken down in tears, had tried to fight, to be strong for the sake of her family… but as time passed, her tears faded into silence, and her light was eventually extinguished. He didn't even remember when it happened… though he was unable to remain by her side the entire time, needing to care for his own family. He had relied on his other siblings to keep an eye on her, and so they had kept him up to date with her condition… but even then, he could not pinpoint when the change set in. The most he could recall was a period of time in the beginning, when she would venture out on her own, disappearing out into Hyrule Field with no warning, returning by the time the sun went down…

Perhaps that was it… how she had gotten the Master Sword. Going out every day to collect the shards scattered across Hyrule Field…

At least they could be thankful for that.

As her tears finally ceased and her grip weakened, Seiryu loosened his grip on his sister, allowing her to sit down in the chair once again. Her eyes were a bit red from crying, but she at least looked a little more alive than she had in months. When Yukie was seated, Mable climbed into Yukie's lap, clinging tightly and burying her face in her mother's shoulder. Seiryu stared down at his niece sadly, sighing to himself. She had been taking her father's absence just as badly as her mother. The once hyper and tomboyish child she had been reduced to a meek, clingy little crybaby. She had once been the braver of the two, but now Raven, who had once been a shy little 'mama's boy', was now the one with the greater emotional stability. He had to be… his mother was now emotionally dead and his sister was a clingy crybaby. If he wasn't the stable one, then everything would fall apart for them all.

Seiryu sighed, scratching his head. They needed to get Link back to his family… just as he himself needed to get back to his own family. He wasn't too happy about the fact that they were here, since they could easily have been tracked and followed… but at least if they stayed in this house, they would be safe as long as the spell held.

Seiryu grabbed a third chair, taking a seat between Shiori and Yukie. He stared at his sister for a moment longer before turning his attention to Shiori. She was still staring down at Shale, who had woken up and seemed a little fussy. The infant laid his eyes on his father, and immediately he raised his little arms, making grabbing motions, obviously wanting to be held by his daddy. Seiryu gave Shiori a questioning look, but she only smiled weakly, offering Shale to him. He took his son in his arms, and immediately Shale's face was buried in his dry shoulder, his hands tightly clinging at his father's tunic. Seiryu couldn't help but smile a bit. Even in such dark times, it was still a warm and comforting feeling being able to be with his family… which is probably why he could sympathize with Link's and Yukie's situation so well.

He watched as Shiori picked up Aki and set him in her lap, holding him tight in her arms. Anyone who knew her could probably tell from her actions that she had something troubling her deep down inside… and since the silence between them had gone on long enough, it was probably best to ask at this point.

"…So how come you're here in Kakariko, Shiori? You said you would wait for me back at home."

"I did… but something happened shortly after you left," Shiori responded softly, her mismatched eyes staring at the floor. "I tried to ignore it, to shut it out, but when that Shadow showed up, I knew I had to come here and tell you about it before it is too late to do anything."

"He went there first?!" Seiryu groaned. If he hadn't been holding Shale, he likely would have struck his own forehead with the palm of his hand. "That moron… even if everything were fine otherwise, I'm glad you came here. He could have been followed… stupid… moronic… ngkh!" He made a strangled noise, unable to vent his frustration properly within range of the underaged. He sighed heavily, trying to push his irritation aside. "…What happened that you needed to come here to tell me?"

"I had a vision…" Shiori's face belied her concern. "It was so vivid and clear, I can see it even now… in my head… but I can't make any sense of it."

"How is that possible? You're normally able to read them accurately." Yukie frowned slightly, her eyes on her hands as she worked on braiding Mable's hair. Mable was trying to sit as still as she could, staring at her brother, who was standing by the window, peering outside.

"Well, it didn't occur normally… it came to me in the dead of night, as a dream." She placed one hand over her left eye. "It was nothing but symbols… I can barely make sense of what was going on… let alone what it all means."

"How about you tell us what you saw?" Seiryu asked, "Maybe we can figure something out."

"Are you sure…?" Shiori chewed on her lip a bit. "I can't even figure it out, and I'm the one who's had premonitions all her life."

"If we can't figure it out, I know someone who might." Seiryu gave her a prompting look. "There's no harm in you telling us… so go ahead and say it. If we can't figure it out, then we're no worse off than we were before."

Shiori stared back at him for a good, long moment, as though taking his words and turning them over in her mind, thinking over what he had said. Finally, she sighed, nodding her head and closing her eyes, drawing upon her memory to bring the image to the front of her mind.

"…Alright."

~'*`~

"_A blackened, stormy sky blocks out the light of the sun._

_Setting in a pool of blood, the sun slowly sinks below the horizon._

_As the sun sets, the moon passes in front of it, hiding its light in a silvery shroud._

_A dragon flies from the earth to the sky, disappearing into the black clouds._

_Darkness covers the land, and two beings appear, one gold, one silver._

_Holding hands tight, they stand together at the heart of the land, surrounded by darkness._

_A being of pure light appears, firing an arrow into the sky._

_The clouds are torn asunder._

_Light gradually returns to the land._

_The sun slowly rises once more, but is forever stained red with blood._"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Yes... I missed a day. This chapter was a little hard to write, but the main problem was actually that yesterday morning, around 3 A.M., the power went out, and was out for several hours. If I were like any 'normal' person, this wouldn't affect me. However, my circadian rhythm is still set to living in Japan (I never go outside, so my body doesn't recognize the rising and setting of the sun), so I tend to wake up between 1 and 4 P.M., and I stay awake until 5 or 6 A.M. (except during school, which hasn't started up just yet). But as you can see, my best writing times run between midnight and 6 A.M., and so a power outage in between put a major damper on that. So here you go.

On another note entirely... I love symbolism. Like psychology, symbolism is fun to pick apart and see what lies underneath the surface. So, of course, using symbolism for a prophecy in a story or game is a fun way to drop hints of what is to come without actually spoiling it. I'd love to see what people think the symbols mean, what it all means will happen to the characters. You never know. You could be right.


	15. Chapter 15

**Blackened Dawn**

**Chapter Fifteen**

Ravick listened with great anticipation, staring fixedly at the wooden door that had been thrown open, the entrance to the room which held their beloved distraction and trump card. Ravick couldn't help but snicker at the commotion… who would have thought that the death of a prisoner would have such an effect? There was a group of guards hovering near the door, and the Big Bad himself had gone in to inspect on the health (or lack thereof) of the prisoner in question. Ravick could hear shifting in the cell next to his. Shorty was getting antsy, but as per Ravick's instructions, he was hiding in the corner. If he saw the King of Evil, Ravick knew the kid would freak out… he had to make sure that didn't happen. This was their chance to escape… they needed to make sure they did it quickly and quietly.

Ravick could hear the man's words easily from where he was sitting. The Big Bad wasn't happy about having discovered his precious source of information to have died overnight. Ravick had to give the dead guy credit, though… he was more expecting the guy to be all 'save me, let me go, blah blah blah'. Basically, how most of the other prisoners had been when his Shadow had scouted the place out some time ago. Shorty was one of the few that didn't. He'd been in there longer than all of them, ever since the King of Evil had made his triumphant return to power. The poor kid had resigned himself to his fate… it had taken Ravick weeks to get him to muster up the desire to escape.

But the other guy… the dead one…? Ravick had to admit he had been taken aback by his request to be killed. Maybe the Big Bad had driven him to his wits' end from torture or something, but he had to admit… the guy had been right that his death would cause enough of a distraction.

"…Make the preparations to dispose of the body. He's of no use to anyone anymore."

Ravick smirked to himself, watching smugly as Ganondorf stormed off, a rather dark expression on his face. Shortly after he left, the guards all followed, looking rather disturbed and uneasy by the situation. Ravick waited, watching them fixedly, waiting for them to leave. The instant the last of them was out of earshot, he was on his feet.

"It's go time! Get ready, Shorty!"

He stripped off his cloak, tossing it to his Shadow. "You go get the goods and wrap it up tight! We can't let it be damaged!"

"Got it, boss!" His Shadow zoomed off towards the room, into the door which had been conveniently left open. Ravick turned his attention to the lock on his cell, fishing through his pockets to locate the key. His Shadow had filched it about a week ago. How he'd gotten it was something Ravick chose not to think about, but thankfully none of the guards had commented about its absence. It was not missed, thank the gods… another advantage of being forgotten.

A shiver ran down his spine with the satisfying click of the lock, and as the door creaked open, Ravick couldn't keep himself from grinning. He slipped out quickly, shutting the door as quietly as he could behind himself. He wanted dearly to take a moment to savor his freedom… but he forced himself to move quickly, unlocking the door to Shorty's cell to let the youth out from the dingy little chamber.

The kid was still sitting in the far corner, waiting, staring blankly at the wall across from him.

"C'mon, kid, we gotta go!" Ravick hissed loudly.

The boy jumped slightly and was on his feet in an instant, though he moved slowly towards the door. Ravick grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him out of the room before shutting the cell door behind him.

"Come on, Shorty, get your head together! We can't do this without you!" He shook the boy slightly.

"G…got it…" Shorty sounded a bit unnerved, but Ravick could see from the look on his face that he was resolute.

"Got the goods, boss!" Ravick's Shadow appeared next to them, a large bundle flung over his shoulder, wrapped tightly in the mage's own cloak.

"Good job, Shadow." Ravick gave his darker half an approving nod.

The Shadow set the concealed treasure down on the floor, gesturing to Shorty, who immediately approached the swaddled bundle, placing his hands over the hidden object. His hands were surrounded by a soft, blue-green light, which spread and enveloped the bundle in its gentle glow. When the light finally faded, he nodded to the Shadow, who nodded back and flung the bundle back over his shoulder.

Ravick clapped his hands softly, holding them two inches apart as he focused all his energy between them. A small ball of black energy appeared, hovering between his hands, pulsating slightly. "_Obscure!_" He threw the ball up, and immediately it expanded, engulfing the three of them in its darkness. Once that was done, Ravick gestured for Shorty and his Shadow to follow him, inching down the corridor in the opposite direction from where the guards had vanished to.

"Alright now, just like we planned," he said firmly, "We need to get down the stairs this way… there's a cellar in the room down below that leads into the sewers. My spell will hold as long as we stick to the shadows… We need to get out of here as quickly and quietly as possible, so stay close, and stay _quiet_." He pointed to his younger charge. "If we run into guards and we're not able to sneak by without being noticed, use that sleeping spell of yours. Got it?"

"Got it." The youth nodded firmly.

"Alright…" Ravick grinned again. "Now… let's go!"

~'*`~

Seiryu found himself staring out the window, his gaze resting on the entrance to the graveyard. Excluding his little trip to the Shadow Temple a few hours ago… when was the last time he had gone there…? Some god he was… neglecting his duties… and for what? So what if he was mortal now… there were still some things he could do without his divine powers. He needed to provide a better example… he had so little respect as it was, if he let things continue like this, he would lose what little he had.

He closed his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath before opening them again, silver eyes peering through the darkness.

There was still _something_ he could do.

He took a brief glance back into the room, watching his family in silence. Yukie and Shiori were busy cooking dinner, while Raven, Mable and Aki were playing with Shale. He was alone for the time being. He wasn't needed here, so he could take some time to go do his job. For the first time in five years.

He made sure to move silently as he approached the door, glancing once over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't going to be called upon at the last moment for something before slipping outside, closing the door as quietly as he could manage. He lingered a moment longer. Anxiety was welling up inside him. This was something he hadn't done in years, one of the few things he did that had been appreciated in spite of all that had transpired over the centuries that had passed since Hyrule's birth. Would they be upset that he had ceased to perform this task for over five long years?

Well… he was going to find out.

Taking another moment to steel his nerves, Seiryu forced himself to walk, one foot after the other, moving slowly towards the graveyard. The pale light of the nearly full moon illuminated his path through broken clouds. The sounds of his footsteps on the soft grass broke the eerie silence that hung over the village. The night air, which had once been filled with the songs of various birds and insects, was quieter than the dead. It was disheartening.

As he walked, Seiryu hummed softly to himself, to distract himself from the otherwise deafening silence. He quickened his pace. Anxiety be damned… being out here alone was more disturbing than any graveyard… not that the graveyard bothered him. Besides, his family would be (hopefully eagerly) waiting for his return, assuming they weren't upset with him for leaving unannounced. He wanted to do his job quickly and be done with it for now. He'd do a better job to make up for it when Ganondorf was finally ousted.

As he neared the graveyard, his humming became gradually louder, more confident. As he passed through the gates, the humming was replaced by soft singing. With each step he took, with each note that danced across his breath, he found himself feeling more… comfortable. Like he belonged there, amongst the deceased. How many times before had he done this? No matter the number, even with a five-year gap in between, it felt as though he had done it just yesterday, as though his body remembered it all, every breath, every step.

Seiryu… god of Shadow… patron deity of the musical arts.

He closed his eyes as he stood atop the short fence, pouring his heart and his soul into the music that flowed forth. It felt so good to sing like this… his skills had rusted a bit after five years, but not enough to truly hamper his confidence. He'd practiced vigorously for several millennia, well before Hyrule's creation. A few years couldn't hurt that much by comparison.

As the song progressed, he could feel the gradually increasing presence of others surrounding him. Such a nostalgic feeling… yet at the same time he felt an almost overwhelming unease pooling deep in his stomach. The souls of the dead could be such fickle beings… normally they seemed sated by his singing, even the most disturbed lulled to rest. However, five years had passed since the last time… five long years… and more than half of a year had been under Ganon's reign, so many of the spirits within the graveyard were newly deceased. He was nervous… but he couldn't let it show. He had showed enough more than enough weakness in the past. He was a god, creator of the Sheikah and guardian of the souls of the dead. He had to be strong. Much like the role of a father.

As he sang, he heard the faint song of music filtering in… twin violins, played with masterful expertise, a beautiful example of alternating melody and harmony, music that even the gods themselves could envy. Seiryu couldn't help the smile that crossed his face, even with his eyes closed. He didn't need to see to know who the mystery duet happened to be. Sharp and Flat had accompanied his singing for centuries… musicians to the very end, and beyond. It always helped… they always knew just how to bring his songs to life, to draw the right emotion out of him.

As always, they always knew how to strike something deep inside him… getting him to focus on the song alone. He barely even noticed a third instrument joining in… a wind instrument. Such a rich tone… a familiar tone… what was it? A flute? No… what was it…

…An ocarina?

His breath almost caught in his throat at the thought, but he recovered before it could affect his singing. Something was screaming at him from the back of his mind, ordering him to stop singing, to open his eyes. The chill of absolute _terror_ was starting to flood over him, creeping from the soles of his feet up to the top of his head. He needed to open his eyes… to confirm or deny the fearful thought that was starting to take over his mind.

'_No… don't stop… don't look…_'

He forced himself to ignore his fear, to focus on finishing his song. He held out as long as he could, keeping his eyes shut until the very last note… waiting until the last of it vanished into the night air. As he finally opened his eyes, the presence that surrounded him was gone, though the air no longer held the usual unnerving chill that graveyards possessed, instead giving a contented feel. Sharp and Flat remained at their respective headstones, grinning excitedly to each other at having a chance to perform again after so long. Seiryu's silvery gaze scanned the graveyard frantically, looking… looking… almost _praying_ that he was wrong, that his fears had been unfounded.

There was a slight movement in front of the entrance to the Shadow Temple, and Seiryu immediately cast his gaze in that direction, hoping to catch a glimpse of… _something_… something that wasn't what he was fearing would be there… But, sadly, there was nothing there. Not anymore, anyway.

Seiryu slowly stepped down from the fence, swallowing hard as he brushed a stray lock of hair away from his face, casting one last fearful glance toward the Temple entrance before heading back towards the village.

He didn't know what he had seen… but he was hoping that he was wrong.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Yay, another chapter. I wrote half of this up about a month ago (or however long ago it was that I last updated), but I lost inspiration due to a lot of things happening in my life, and then school started and got in the way. I managed to get some art stuffs done instead, though, so anyone that watches me on DA may have seen that.

Many thanks go to Vaati's Servant, who I've been spending time with as of late. She and I were talking about various things past and present, (such as the development of the Gods and Goddesses from this story and CotG to more current stories like Revival of Hope and Madness of the Twilight) and the inspiration hit me out of nowhere. So she gets credit and kudos for kicking my inspiration into high gear, and so I dedicate this chapter to her.

The second half of this chapter is something I've been planning for a _long_ time. All of the gods and goddesses are revered for things outside of their designated titles. For example, Koboku is considered a guardian deity to children all over Hyrule even though he is referred to as the "God of the Forest", and Din is considered a goddess of victory and empowerment along with being known as the "Goddess of Power". In Seiryu's case, he is considered a god of the arts, especially music, and this is something I've been waiting a long time to show. Tales are told of him singing to restless spirits to calm them, and I wanted to incorporate it in this story at least once since it never appeared in Children of the Gods, and after Blackened Dawn (unless I write a sequel), the gods and goddesses are known by their current incarnations as I have made them rather than what they originally were (which is how they are in BD and CotG). So essentially this is Seiryu's one and only chance to shine in this 'reality'.

Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon. Until next time.


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